Geriatric oncology: questions, answers and guidelines

Abstract

Background: With the aging of populations, the number of elderly persons with cancer will increase. Due to the high individuality of elderly persons and their varying patterns of resources and disabilities, cancer treatment for elderly cancer patients needs to be individually adapted. To achieve this, geriatric medicine has established the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). This short review presents the evidence of feasibility and impact of CGA on cancer treatment in elderly patients, as recommended by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in 2018. Methods: A systematic review of the literature and a Delphi Consensus with a panel of experts cooperated to compile the evidence for choosing the most adequate treatment for elderly cancer patients. Results: There is evidence that CGA makes it possible to predict the occurrence of complications of chemotherapy and of health deterioration, as well as death within 1 year. Conclusion: The ASCO has recognized the optimization of cancer therapy for elderly patients as a priority.