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 ) .
A comprehensive geriatric intervention detects multiple problems in older breast cancer patients.
UNLABELLED Studies of comprehensive geriatric assessment ( CGA ) have shown the importance of follow-up for effectiveness , but this has not been tested in an oncology clinic . In this pilot study , we enrolled 15 early breast cancer patients , aged 70 and older . They received a multidisciplinary CGA every 3 months and structured follow-up from the SAOP nurse practitioner , dietitian , social worker , and pharmacist according to risk . Total follow-up was 6 months . Median age of evaluable patients was 79 years ( range 72 - 87 ) .  Median number of comorbidities by Cumulative Index Rating Scale-Geriatric ( CIRS-G ) was 5 ( 3 - 9 ) at baseline . Ten patients were at pharmacological risk , five at psychosocial risk , and eight at nutritional risk . Patients presented on average six problems initially , and three new problems during follow-up . The intervention directly influenced oncological treatment in four cases . It ensured continuity/coordination of care in seven cases . Success rate in addressing problems was 87 % . Mean Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Breast ( FACT-B ) scores improved from 110.5 ( S.D. 16.7 ) to 116.3 ( S.D. 16.5 ) ( t=0.025 ) . Function and independence were maintained . CONCLUSIONS Older patients with early breast cancer have a high prevalence of comorbidity . A CGA with follow-up has potential for improving the treatment and prognosis of these patients and is feasible in an academic oncology setting
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 ) .