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 predicts tolerance to chemotherapy and survival in elderly patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma: a GINECO study.
BACKGROUND Data from prospect i ve clinical trials are needed to better define st and ards of care in elderly patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma and to demonstrate the interest of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment ( CGA ) in this fragile and heterogeneous population . PATIENTS AND METHODS From July 1998 to October 2000 , 83 advanced ovarian carcinoma patients > 70 years old received carboplatin AUC 5 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 , on day 1 of six 28-day cycles . The clinical and biological geriatric covariates prospect ively studied were : comorbidities , comedications , cognitive functions ( Mini-Mental test ) , nutritional status and autonomy . RESULTS Patient characteristics were : median age 76 years , serous histology ( 73 % ) , FIGO stage III ( 75 % ) , optimal initial surgery ( 21 % ) and performance status ( PS ) > or = 2 ( 44 % ) . Sixty patients ( 72 % ) received six chemotherapy cycles without severe toxicity ( STox ) or tumor progression . Multivariate analysis retained three factors as independent predictors of STox : symptoms of depression at baseline ( P = 0.006 ) , dependence ( P = 0.048 ) and PS > or = 2 ( P = 0.026 ) . Independent prognostic factors identified for overall survival ( Cox model ) were depression ( P = 0.003 ) , FIGO stage IV ( P = 0.007 ) and more than six different comedications per day ( P = 0.043 ) . CONCLUSION CGA could predict STox and overall survival of elderly advanced ovarian carcinoma 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 ) .