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 ) .
Analysis of treatment practices for elderly cancer patients in Ontario, Canada.
PURPOSE Older patients are underrepresented in many areas of cancer services utilization and in clinical trial enrollment . This study evaluates whether age , when adjusted for sex , comorbidity , stage , tumor site , geography , and time period , is predictive of cancer treatment practice . METHODS First , we used the Ontario Cancer Registry ( OCR ) to examine for any apparent differences in treatment practice s between elderly ( > or = 70 years ) and younger patients in the last three decades . Second , we performed a chart review of 1,505 patients with lung , breast , and colorectal cancers seen in Ontario either at an urban center , the Princess Margaret Hospital , or at a rural center , the Northwestern Regional Cancer Centre . Patients were r and omly selected from two time periods , 1977 to 1978 and 1997 ; and the study population was to comprise at least 50 % elderly patients . RESULTS OCR data demonstrated that , in some setting s , such as colorectal cancer , the proportions of elderly cancer patients who were referred to cancer centers and who received any cancer treatment were lower than their younger counterparts . The chart review data showed that increasing age was a significant negative predictor for receiving any cancer treatment ( P < .001 , multivariate analysis ) and for having a clinical trial discussion with the treating specialist ( P < .001 , multivariate analysis ) . CONCLUSION Independent of other factors , older age is consistently a cause of disparity in cancer treatment practice and in clinical trial discussion with patients . By increasing the accrual rate of elderly cancer patients in clinical trials , a better underst and ing of appropriate therapies for this patient population can be obtained and may , thereby , impact on their cancer-related morbidity and mortality
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 ) .