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 ) .
Quality of life, geriatric assessment and survival in elderly patients with non-small-cell lung cancer treated with carboplatin-gemcitabine or carboplatin-paclitaxel: NVALT-3 a phase III study.
BACKGROUND Elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer ( NSCLC ) may derive similar benefit from platinum-based chemotherapy as younger patients .  Quality of life ( QoL ) and comprehensive geriatric assessment ( CGA ) is often advocated to assess benefits and risks . PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 181 chemotherapy-naive patients [ ≥70 years , performance score ( PS ) of 0 - 2 ] with stage III-IV NSCLC received carboplatin and gemcitabine ( CG ) ( n = 90 ) or carboplatin and paclitaxel ( CP ) ( n = 91 ) every 3 weeks for up to four cycles . Primary end point was change in global QoL from baseline compared with week 18 . Pretreatment CGA and mini geriatric assessment during and after treatment were undertaken . A principal component ( PC ) analysis was carried out to determine the underlying dimensions of CGA and QoL and subsequently related to survival . RESULTS There were no changes in QoL after treatment . The number of QoL responders ( CG arm , 12 % ; CP arm , 5 % ) was not significantly different . CGA items were only associated with neuropsychiatric toxicity . Quality -adjusted survival was not different between treatment arms . The PC analysis derived from nine CGA , six QoL and one PS score indicated only one dominant dimension . This dimension was strongly prognostic , and physical and role functioning , Groningen Frailty Indicator and Geriatric Depression Scale were its largest contributors . CONCLUSIONS Paclitaxel or gemcitabine added to carboplatin did not have a differential effect on global QoL. CGA was associated with toxic effects in a very limited manner . CGA and QoL items measure one underlying dimension , which is highly prognostic
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 ) .