Geriatric assessment  was most often completed to describe a patient 's health and functional status .
Geriatric assessment  in the oncology setting is feasible , and some domains are associated with adverse outcomes .
However , there is limited evidence that geriatric assessment impacted treatment decision making .
BACKGROUND Geriatric assessment is a multidisciplinary diagnostic process that evaluates the older adult 's medical , psychological , social , and functional capacity .
No systematic review of the use of geriatric assessment in oncology has been conducted .
The goals of this systematic review were : 1 ) to provide an overview of all geriatric assessment instruments used in the oncology setting ; 2 ) to examine the feasibility and psychometric properties of those instruments ; and 3 ) to systematic ally evaluate the effectiveness of geriatric assessment in predicting or modifying outcomes ( including the impact on treatment decision making , toxicity of treatment , and mortality ) .
Oral Etoposide in Elderly Patients with Advanced Non Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Clinical and Pharmacological Study
Abstract Seventeen elderly patients with advanced progressive non small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC ) were treated with oral etoposide at the daily dose of 100 mg for 14 days every 3 - 4 weeks with pharmacokinetic monitoring . One partial response and 6 stabilizations were documented with a median overall duration of 13 weeks ( range 8 - 32 ) . The median survival was 24 weeks with an apparent advantage for non-progressive patients ( 40 weeks vs. 18 weeks ) . The treatment was well tolerated especially by those patients without concomitant illness , suggesting the crucial role of a careful selection of the geriatric population . Toxicity was not related to the etoposide plasma level , but was clearly dependent on comorbidity . A geriatric assessment rather than chronological age therefore appears to be more reliable in the selection of elderly patients for clinical trials . The easy self-management , favorable toxicity profile and synergy with other compounds makes oral etoposide suitable for further clinical -pharmacological studies in elderly patients
Geriatric assessment  was most often completed to describe a patient 's health and functional status .
Geriatric assessment  in the oncology setting is feasible , and some domains are associated with adverse outcomes .
However , there is limited evidence that geriatric assessment impacted treatment decision making .
BACKGROUND Geriatric assessment is a multidisciplinary diagnostic process that evaluates the older adult 's medical , psychological , social , and functional capacity .
No systematic review of the use of geriatric assessment in oncology has been conducted .
The goals of this systematic review were : 1 ) to provide an overview of all geriatric assessment instruments used in the oncology setting ; 2 ) to examine the feasibility and psychometric properties of those instruments ; and 3 ) to systematic ally evaluate the effectiveness of geriatric assessment in predicting or modifying outcomes ( including the impact on treatment decision making , toxicity of treatment , and mortality ) .