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 ) .
Comprehensive geriatric assessment can predict complications in elderly patients after elective surgery for colorectal cancer: a prospective observational cohort study.
OBJECTIVE To examine the association between the outcomes of a pre-operative comprehensive geriatric assessment ( CGA ) and the risk of severe post-operative complications in elderly patients electively operated for colorectal cancer . METHODS One hundred seventy-eight consecutive patients ≥ 70 years electively operated for all stages of colorectal cancer were prospect ively examined . A pre-operative CGA was performed , and patients were categorized as fit , intermediate , or frail . The main outcome measure was severe complications within 30 days of surgery . RESULTS Twenty-one patients ( 12 % ) were categorized as fit , 81 ( 46 % ) as intermediate , and 76 ( 43 % ) as frail . Eighty-three patients experienced severe complications , including three deaths ; 7/21 ( 33 % ) of fit patients , 29/81 ( 36 % ) of intermediate patients and 47/76 ( 62 % ) of frail patients ( p=0.002 ) . Increasing age and ASA classification were not associated with complications in this series . CONCLUSION CGA can identify frail patients who have a significantly increased risk of severe complications after elective surgery for colorectal cancer
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 ) .