Oncogeriatrics

BACKGROUND: Cancer incidence and social isolation increase along with advanced age, and social isolation potentiates the relative risk of death by cancer. Once spotted, social isolation can be averted with the intervention of a multidisciplinary team. Techniques of automation and remote assistance have already demonstrated their positive impact on falls prevention and quality of life (QoL), though little is known about their impact on socially isolated elderly patients supported for cancer...

Age is the biggest risk factor for colorectal cancer, with 70% of the cases in patients over 70 years old. For this reason, a review is presented on the surgical treatment and chemotherapy of cancer of colon and rectum in the elderly. A search was performed in PubMed, including words such as elderly, surgery, colorectal cancer, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and oncogeriatrics, and review articles and originals on treatment of colorectal cancer in the elderly were selected. A narrative form was developed from the latest evidence with the results obtained on the treatment of this pathology...

The mean age at diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is 72 years, with 22.8% of patients being older than 80 years. However, the elderly are underrepresented in clinical studies of CLL. We performed a retrospective study of CLL patients aged 80 years or older at the initiation of first-line therapy in hospitals affiliated with the French intergroup on CLL (French Innovative Leukemia Organization) between 2003 and 2013. Here, we describe the clinical and biological characteristics, treatment, and outcomes for 201 patients...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common cause of death by cancer in the world. Due to the delayed HCC development in hepatitis C carriers and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the incidence of HCC in the elderly is increasing and is becoming a global health issue. Elderly patients with HCC should be assessed through proper oncologic approach, namely, screening tools for frailty (Geriatric-8 or Vulnerable Elders Survey-13) and comprehensive geriatric assessment. This review of the literature supports the same treatment options for elderly patients as for younger patients, in elderly patients selected as fit following proper oncogeriatric assessment...

BACKGROUND: Cancer care in people over 75 years of age is particularly complex and requires collaboration between oncologists, geriatricians, GPs and other professional and family carers. To improve the care pathways for elderly people living with cancer, the French health authorities have created a network of oncologists and geriatricians; however, GPs experience difficulties in establishing their place in this network. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyse the impressions of French GPs involved in the care of elderly patients with cancer, including their feelings regarding their relationships with their oncologist and geriatrician colleagues...

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is the gold standard to help oncologists select the best cancer treatment for their older patients. Some authors have suggested that the concept of frailty could be a more useful approach in this population. We investigated whether frailty markers are associated with treatment recommendations in an oncogeriatric clinic. METHODS: This prospective study included 70 years and older patients with solid tumors and referred for an oncogeriatric assessment...

BACKGROUND: There are no data on surgical outcomes of major gastrointestinal cancer resections in the expanding Indian oncogeriatric population. METHODS: A prospective database of patients who underwent major gastrointestinal cancer resections during varying time periods (2006-2014) was analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Two thousand six hundred and forty three patients with a median age of 53 were analyzed. Four hundred and seventy two (17...

OBJECTIVE: Cancer is one of the most common diagnoses in elderly patients. Of all types of abdominal cancer, colorectal cancer (CRC) is undoubtedly the most frequent. Median age at diagnosis is approximately 70 years old worldwide. Due to the multiple comorbidities affecting elderly people, frailty evaluation is very important in order to avoid over- or under-treatment. This pilot study was designed to investigate the variables capable of predicting the long-term risk of mortality and living situation after surgery for CRC...

OBJECTIVE: Endometrial cancer primarily affects elderly women. The aim of the present literature review is to define the population of elderly women with this disease and to define the characteristics of this cancer in elderly people as well as its surgical treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review of the English-language literature of the last 20 years indexed in the PubMed database. RESULTS: Endometrial cancer is more aggressive in elderly women...

Older cancer patients are a highly heterogeneous population in terms of global health and physiological reserves, and it is often difficult to determine the best treatment. Moreover, clinical tools currently used to assess global health require dedicated time and lack a standardized end score. Circulating markers of biological age and/or fitness could complement or partially substitute the existing screening tools. In this study we explored the relationship of potential ageing/frailty biomarkers with age and clinical frailty...

Although the achievement of deep and long lasting remissions is a realistic goal of therapy in the fit patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), this disease typically affects elderly patients who also show one or more concomitant pathological conditions or functional limitations that have an additive effects on the reduction of patient's life expectancy and represent major limitations in the adoption of standard therapies. In these unfit but typical patients with CLL, the goals of treatment may vary from achieving good remissions without severe toxicity to simple palliation...

The ageing of French population imposes to radiotherapists the challenge to treat older patients and to adjust their treatment. Unthinkable 30 years ago, radiation therapy concerns nowadays patients aged more than 90 years old. Oncogeriatric scales have been improved those last years without necessarily making sure that the right treatment is given to the right patient: if oncogeriatric scales use influences the final therapeutic decision, it does not define new target volumes, new doses, or new fractionation protocols...

INTRODUCTION: French national cancer plans were rolled out oncogeriatric coordination units in France in particular to enable all elderly people with cancer in each region to benefit from a specific care management. METHODS: The national hospital discharge database was analyzed in order to analyze hospitalizations related to cancer care in ≥75 years patients for year 2012. RESULTS: A total of 358,721 patients with 1,492,935 hospitalizations were recorded, respectively with chemotherapy (32...

Prostatic diseases are extremely common, especially in older men. Amongst them, benign prostatic hypertrophy may affect significantly the quality of life of patients by the symptoms it causes. It requires appropriate care. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men after lung cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. It affects preferentially older men. An oncogeriatric approach is required for personalised care.

Bladder cancer is diagnosed more often in the elderly. The most effective treatment strategies are mostly very aggressive and are not applicable to all patients in a very heterogeneous population. However, effective options exist to treat the most vulnerable subjects. A multidisciplinary approach including a geriatric assessment is essential for optimal adaptation of treatment. The FRancilian Oncogeriatric Group (FROG) conducted a comprehensive literature search in order to review the applicable therapeutic options according to oncological and geriatric settings...

In this single-center retrospective case-control study, 62 patients were divided into two age groups (80 years and older versus less than 65 years) treated with external beam radiation during the same period. The main objective was to investigate differences in care between these two populations. Two parameters appear statistically different between the two groups: the indication of patient weight (reported for 39% of elderly patients versus 71% of younger patients, p=0.039) and hypofractioned radiotherapy (61% and 23% of patients respectively, p=0...

CONTEXT: Breast cancer is the commonest cancer in women worldwide and its incidence increases with increasing age. In an era of evidence-based practice, there is a paucity of evidence relating to the management of breast cancer in an oncogeriatric population. The authors define oncogeriatrics as cancer in patients aged 80 years or more. AIM: The study aimed to evaluate the survival benefit of surgically managed octogenarians with breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of octogenarians diagnosed with breast cancer over a 5-year period and who were treated surgically...

There is a paucity of clinical data available on specific treatment in the oncogeriatric population with breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate treatment patterns and survival outcomes in the elderly to address any disparities at our community hospital. We retrospectively identified a total of 1749 patients diagnosed and treated for breast cancer at our institution between 2001 and 2011. Patient demographics, surgical treatment, stage of disease, tumor characteristics, adjuvant therapy, and 5-year survival data were obtained from tumor registry records...

BACKGROUND: An oncogeriatric approach may affect management of elderly patients with breast cancer. However, little is known about oncogeriatric care in the metastatic setting. Therefore, we performed an international comparison of management of elderly patients with primary metastatic disease who were treated in two different care settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who were ≥70years at diagnosis of primary metastatic disease were eligible. The first cohort comprised a population-based cohort of 104 patients (Comprehensive Cancer Center West, The Netherlands), who all received standard care...

Gliomas are the most frequent primary brain tumors in adults. As the population ages in Western countries, the number of people being diagnosed with glioblastoma is expected to increase. Clinical management of elderly patients with primary brain tumors is difficult, owing to multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, decreased tolerance to chemotherapy, and an increased risk of radiation-induced neurotoxicity. A few specific randomized studies have shown a benefit for radiotherapy in elderly patients with good performance status...