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 ) .
Geriatric evaluation and management units in the care of the frail elderly cancer patient.
BACKGROUND Geriatric assessment has been suggested as a possibly useful approach in dealing with frail elderly cancer patients . METHODS This was a secondary subset analysis from a r and omized 2 x 2 factorial trial in 11 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers . Hospitalized , frail patients at least 65 years old , after stabilization of their acute illness , were r and omized to receive care in a geriatric inpatient unit , a geriatric outpatient clinic , both , or neither .  The interventions involved core teams that provided geriatric assessment and patient management . We identified 99 patients with a diagnosis of cancer by The International Classification of Diseases , 9th Revision ( ICD-9 ) codes , excluding all nonmelanoma skin cancers . Outcomes collected at discharge , 6 months , and 1 year after r and omization were survival , changes in health-related quality of life ( using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form general health survey [ SF-36 ] ) , activities of daily living , physical performance , health service utilization , and costs . RESULTS There was no effect on mortality ( 1-year survival 59.6 % ) . The changes in the SF-36 scores from r and omization for emotional limitation , mental health and bodily pain ( also sustained at 1 year ) on the SF-36 were better for geriatric inpatient care cancer patients at discharge . There was no difference in SF-36 scores between geriatric outpatient and usual outpatient care . Days of hospitalization and overall costs were equivalent for the interventions and usual care over the 1-year study . CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that inpatient geriatric assessment and management may be an effective approach to the management of pain and psychological status in the elderly cancer inpatient at no greater length of hospitalization or extra cost than usual care
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 ) .