Abstract 1598P
Background
Worldwide, older patients with cancer rarely perform a geriatric assessment at any point during their oncology treatments. The commonly cited reasons for this fact are financial costs, lack of time, and highly trained health professionals. To break this vicious cycle, we combined 5 tests in a battery that could speedily evaluate critical geriatric domains (mobility, nutrition, cognition, polypharmacy, and depression risk) and also stratify these patients as fit pre-fragile, and fragile. With this information in hand, oncologists could make better cancer treatment decisions for this population of cancer patients.
Methods
Previously to the first patient consultation, the oncology nurse, through the web platform (www.oncosenior.com), applied the POgA consisting of a) Gait speed analysis (4 meters test), b) Polypharmacy questionnaire, c) Mini-nutritional assessment, d) Geriatric depression scale-5 (GDS-5), and e) Mini-Cog. We analyzed the descriptive statistics of our population and the results of the POgA, with particular attention to the time to complete the assessments and patient and physician satisfaction.
Results
From 01/2019 to 03/2022, we evaluated 214 patients (58% women) with>60 years old. The mean age was 73 years (range 60-95). The mean time to complete the POgA was 9.2 minutes (range 4-20, SD 2.8). Treatment had a palliative intention in 39% of patients. According to gait speed, 43% of patients were fit (≥ 1m/s), 42% pre-frail (<1m/s > 0.6m/s) and 15% frail (<0.6m/s). Cognitive impairment and risk of depression were positive in 38% and 24% of patients, respectively. Nutritional risk and Malnourishment were present in 43% and 12% of patients, respectively. Polypharmacy (use of > 3 medications) was present in 52% of patients. Oncologists' and patients' satisfaction with the POgA was 100% and 95%, respectively.
Conclusions
The POgA is feasible, practical, and effective. It unveils critical clinical information that may pass unsuspected by routine clinical examination or clinical judgment (clinical feeling). For its simplicity, we propose the POgA be used worldwide, mainly but not only in oncology units eager to begin their Onco-Geriatric programs. The battery of tests described can be found on the web platform www.oncosenior.com.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.