On October 6, 2024 on Yale Cancer Answers, Dr. Eric Winer interviewed Cary Gross, MD, Professor of Medicine (General Medicine) and of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases). Dr. Gross is a cancer researcher addressing comparative effectiveness, quality, and health equity, with a focus on cancer prevention and treatment. He aims to use real-world research to generate knowledge that will inform change in clinical care and health policy. He is a founding Director of Yale’s Cancer Outcomes Public Policy and Effectiveness Research Center (COPPER).

On this episode of Yale Cancer Answers, Dr. Gross shares ways to improve cancer care and to decrease the burden of cancer on individual patients and society, and to increase equity and patient-centeredness in cancer care. Dr. Gross is particularly interested in cancer in older persons. Cancer is an aging-related disease, and elderly cancer patients tend to have worse outcomes than their younger counterparts. This is likely due, at least in part, to the myriad of non–cancer problems that tend to accrue with age.

"To provide greater clarity for patient and provider decision-making, we are exploring the manner in which non–cancer chronic illnesses and geriatric syndromes affect the care and outcomes of older patients with colorectal cancer," said Dr. Gross.