Geriatric Assessment In Older Patients Research Articles

Comprehensive geriatric assessment of older patients with renal disease: a cross-sectional survey

Multidimensional health function impairments are common in older patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The purpose of this study was to explore whether the risk or severity of geriatric syndrome increased with a decline in renal function. This survey was conducted for CKD patients aged ≥ 60 years and hospitalized at West China Hospital of Sichuan University (Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Endocrinology) and Chengdu Kangfu Kidney Disease Hospital from September 01, 2013 to June 30, 2014. Patients underwent multidimensional individualized assessments by trained doctors. Logistic regression analysis found that the risk of assisted walking (P = 0.001) and urinary incontinence (P = 0.039) increased with a decline in renal function. Regression analysis revealed that the scores of activities of daily living (P = 0.024), nutritional status (P = 0.000), total social support (P = 0.014), and objective support (P = 0.000) decreased with a decline in renal function.

Geriatric Assessment of Older Patients Receiving Trabectedin in First-Line Treatment for Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas: The E-TRAB Study from The German Interdisciplinary Sarcoma Group (GISG-13)

E-TRAB was a non-interventional, prospective trial investigating the feasibility and predictive value of geriatric assessments (GA) in older STS patients treated with trabectedin as first-line therapy. Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS), quality of life and individual clinical benefit assessed by the patient-reported outcome measures QLQ-C30 and PRO-CTCAE. Further, several GA tools were applied and correlated with clinical outcomes and treatment-related toxicities. The final analyses included 69 patients from 12 German-speaking sites. The median age of patients was 78 years (range: 55 to 88). Baseline data on PROs and GA identified a diverse population of older patients with respect to their global health status, although a large proportion of them suffered from limitations, required geriatric help and had a high risk of morbidity. The Cancer and Age Research Group (CARG) score classified 38%, 29% and 23% of the patients with low, intermediate and high risks for therapy-related side effects, respectively. Median OS was 11.2 months [95%CI: 5.6; 19.4]. The study confirmed that trabectedin as first-line treatment in older patients with STS has an acceptable and manageable safety profile. Potential prognostic factors for clinical outcome and therapy-related toxicity were identified among the GA tools. Long Timed Up and Go (TUG) showed a significant correlation to OS and early death, whereas a high CARG score (>9) was associated with an increase in unplanned hospitalizations and the incidence of toxicities grade ≥ 3.

Validation and modification of simplified Geriatric Assessment and Elderly Prognostic Index: Effective tools for older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Geriatric assessment can aid in optimizing treatment strategies and supportive interventions for older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Fondazione Italiana Linformi has recently introduced novel geriatric assessment tools, simplified Geriatric Assessment (sGA) and Elderly Prognostic Index (EPI), aimed at tailoring the treatment and predicting the outcomes for older patients with DLBCL. The objectives of this study are the validation and possible modification of the sGA and EPI in China. In the study, both sGA and EPI demonstrated the predictive capabilities for overall survival (OS) and early mortality (both p < 0.05) in older individuals with DLBCL. Albumin, serving as an independent predictive biomarker for OS (p = 0.006), was utilized to adjust the measurements, resulting in the establishment of sGA-A and EPI-A. The sGA-A effectively addressed the shortcomings of the sGA and EPI in predicting PFS and surpassed them in predicting OS and early mortality. Nevertheless, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of sGA and EPI as treatment guidance tools. In conclusion, the modified sGA-A model proved to be a successful instrument for geriatric assessment of older patients with DLBCL.

SIOG2023-1-P-210 - The impact of frailty screening and geriatric assessment in older patients with ovarian cancer

SIOG2023-1-P-210 - The impact of frailty screening and geriatric assessment in older patients with ovarian cancer

SIOG2023-4-P-269 - Geriatric Assessment in older patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma

SIOG2023-4-P-269 - Geriatric Assessment in older patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Medication assessment in older adults with cancer – Current practices in clinical pharmacy

The needs of older adults (aged ≥65 years) are evolving and complex, requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Guidelines from the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) [ [1] Wildiers H. Heeren P. Puts M. Topinkova E. Janssen-Heijnen M.L.G. Extermann M. et al. International Society of Geriatric Oncology Consensus on geriatric assessment in older patients with Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2014; 32: 2595-2603 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1106) Google Scholar ] advocate for healthcare providers to perform a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). A CGA is a multidisciplinary diagnostic process, assessing a patient's medical, psychosocial, and functional capacity to tailor an integrated treatment plan, including long-term follow-up [ [1] Wildiers H. Heeren P. Puts M. Topinkova E. Janssen-Heijnen M.L.G. Extermann M. et al. International Society of Geriatric Oncology Consensus on geriatric assessment in older patients with Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2014; 32: 2595-2603 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1106) Google Scholar ]. Nurses and allied healthcare professionals have a crucial role to play in the CGA process.

Geriatric assessment for older patients with breast cancer: A single-institution study.

Although geriatric assessment (GA) has been used for a long time in the field of geriatrics and internal medicine, there are few studies on its application in the field of breast surgery. Therefore, the utility of specific GA domains for the assessment of older patients with breast cancer remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between specific GA domains and the survival rate of older patients with breast cancer. We used the database of Peking Union Medical College Hospital to identify older patients who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer between 2012 and 2018 and retrospectively analysed the data of 541 patients aged ≥65 years. Patients with metastatic cancer and those with missing vital status data were excluded. The primary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival. The GA domains used in this study included functional status, comorbidities, and psychological state. Multivariate regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios for these three domains. After a median follow-up of 72 months, we observed a significant relationship between functional impairment and mortality (adjusted HR: 3.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.83-5.10, P<0.001). Similarly, patients with severe comorbidities (adjusted HR: 2.35; 95% CI: 1.16-4.75, P=0.017) and an impaired psychological state (adjusted HR: 2.82, 95% CI: 1.45-5.50, P=0.002) showed worse OS rates. Accordingly, addition of the three GA domains to the basic model, which included age, tumour stage, lymph node stage, and intrinsic molecular subtype as baseline variables, yielded higher C-statistics for mortality analysis (from 0.713 to 0.740). To our knowledge, this is the first study to include specific GA domains in a prognostic model for older patients with breast cancer in China. Three domains, namely functional status, comorbidities, and psychological state, should be considered for survival analyses in this particular population. The full model including these three GA domains may be more accurate in predicting the survival of older patients with breast cancer.

The role of comprehensive geriatric assessment in older patients affected by knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common musculoskeletal diseases and highly prevalent in older people. Whilst the management of knee OA is usually multidisciplinary, the use of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for this condition is still limited. Given this background, with this systematic review, we summarized the current literature regarding the importance of CGA in people affected by knee OA. A systematic search across several databases was run until 10th April 2022 and updated on 21st November 2022 for any study investigating the use of CGA in patients with knee OA. The data were summarized descriptively. Among 295 articles initially included, three studies made in the context of the osteoarthritis initiative (OAI) were included. All the three studies used the OAI multidimensional prognostic index (MPI), a composite score derived from the CGA. Higher MPI values were associated with a higher risk of falls, cardiovascular conditions, and fractures across a follow-up period of 8 years and after adjusting for potential confounders. In conclusion, in this systematic review we summarized the current evidence of CGA in knee OA, finding that the MPI, a CGA derived tool, could be useful to early find people at higher risk of conditions that are associated with knee OA and therefore that can be the target of personalized interventions for preventing these conditions.

Clinical geriatric assessment in older patients with lymphoma: a narrative review

Background and Objective: Aging is a highly individualized global process involved in cancer pathogenesis, response to therapy and susceptibility to adverse events (AEs), resulting in physiological, medical, and psycho-cognitive changes. The attempt to stratify patients according to their fitness in order to define the best tailored treatment, thus avoiding under- or over-treatment, is an important issue of geriatric hematology. Chronological age and performance status (PS) evaluation do not account for the complexity of older patients; for this reason, comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) was recognized as a multidimensional, interdisciplinary diagnostic process focusing on determining an older person’s medical, psychosocial, and functional capabilities to develop a coordinated plan to guide treatment decisions and long-term follow-up. Various tools and scores exploring different geriatric domains have been developed and validated. Aim of this review is to define the aging process in its aspects that influence lymphoma management and to summarize the available tools to define patient fitness, remarking the importance of performing a geriatric assessment (GA) in older patients affected by lymphoma.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment of older patients and associated factors of admission to Emergency Departments in pre-covid 19 Era – A Portuguese study

ObjectivesIdentifying frequent users’ (≥3admissions/year) associated factors in an emergency department (ED), using a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), describing the characteristics of patients over 65 years of age. MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed between August 2017 and June 2018 in an ED in Lisbon, Portugal. CGA was applied and completed with clinical records. Clinical, functional, mental and social scores were created based in Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine, and a statistical model was developed. ResultsCGA was applied to 426 patients over 64 years old in an ED. The mean age was 79.3, 84.7% had multimorbidity. 51.2%, 75.6%, and 40% had dependence on basic, instrumental, and walking activities, respectively. 52% had depressive symptoms, 65.7% had cognitive impairment, 63% were undernourished/at risk for malnutrition. 33.1% were socially at risk. Polypharmacy was present with a use on average of 6.5 drugs daily. Social, clinical, functional, and mental scores were unfavourable in 48.6%, 79.6%, 54.9% and 83.1% of the population, respectively. There were 2.7 hospital admissions/year and 39.9% were frequent ED users (≥3/year). The logistic regression model was weak, but showed that patients with polypharmacy, elevated Charlson Comorbidity index and an impairment nutritional status presented higher risk of being frequent users. ConclusionsThis study showed that 97.1% of patients had needs that would justify an interventional care plan. This intervention should be extended to primary care and nursing homes. While not providing a robust model, our study has indicated nutritional problems, polypharmacy, and an elevated Charlson index as the features with more weight in frequent users’ admissions.

Cognitive Screening via Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment of Older Patients for the Risk Factors of Hospital Revisit/Readmission after Emergency Department Visit at 3-Month Follow-Up

Introduction: Cognitive impairment (COIM) is a major challenge for healthcare systems and is associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes in older people visiting emergency departments (EDs). Owing to global aging, both cognitive screening and comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) application in ED settings are developing areas of geriatric emergency medicine. Meanwhile, the association between clinical outcomes of COIM; cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND); and dementia in the ED could be better investigated. Our study aims to identify individuals with COIM from older patients in the ED via CGA and to describe the association of CIND and dementia with prognosis in ED visits. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the ED of the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, a medical center located in Taipei, Taiwan, from August 2018 to November 2020. Patients aged ≥75 years with and without COIM were compared using data obtained from the CGAs conducted by trained nurses. Results: A total of 823 older patients were enrolled in the study and underwent CGA. Of these, 463 (56.3%) were diagnosed with COIM, of which 292 (35.5%) were diagnosed with dementia; and 171 (20.8%), CIND. Between the no-COIM and COIM groups, the COIM group had a higher rate of hospital admission (p = 0.002) and mortality at 3 months (p < 0.05). Among the no-COIM, CIND, and dementia groups, ED disposition (p = 0.001) and the rate of revisit/readmission (p < 0.05) showed significant differences. In particular, the dementia group had a significantly higher rate of revisit/readmission as compared to the CIND group among the three groups. Discussion/Conclusion: Older patients with COIM had a higher rate of hospital admission and mortality at the 3-month follow-up than older patients without COIM. Among the no-COIM, CIND, and dementia groups, patients with dementia had significantly increased risks of hospital admission and revisit/readmission. The early detection of COIM, and even dementia, could help ED physicians formulate strategies with geriatric specialists to improve mortality outcomes and revisit/readmission.

Older Persons Assessment Service (OPAS): delivering comprehensive geriatric assessment in the emergency department

Innovative models of service delivery are required to provide comprehensive geriatric assessment for older patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with frailty syndromes. Out of 139,636 attendances in 2020–21 to the ED at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, 3,906 were due to falls in

1028 OLDER PERSON’S ASSESSMENT SERVICE (OPAS): DELIVERING COMPREHENSIVE GERIATRIC ASSESSMENT (CGA) IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (ED)

IntroductionInnovative models of service delivery are required to provide Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment for older patients presenting to the Emergency Department with frailty syndromes.MethodIn 2018, the Older Person’s Assessment Service began a liaison service to the ED, taking referrals from the medical and ED teams for patients who presented with frailty syndromes (falls, cognitive impairment, care dependence, polypharmacy). The service saw 437 patients April–August 2018. 76% of the patients assessed were discharged by utilising available community services, rapid access outpatient follow up and inpatient reablement off the acute site. The service was estimated to avoid 50–80 admissions per month to medicine (saving 17–23 beds a year) and was commissioned as a permanent service. Phase 2 In 2020, a dedicated unit within ED was allocated to OPAS, enabling the acceptance of patients directly from triage and from the Ambulance Service by direct referral. This provided rapid access to specialist assessment, continued access to Elderly Care services, avoided exposure to coronavirus related admissions and the risks of nosocomial infection associated with admission. The service operates from 8 am-4 pm on weekdays.ResultsBetween June 2020 and October 2021, the service saw 1,173 new patients. 988 patients (84.5%) were discharged off the acute site on the day of assessment. 68 (5.79%) patients were admitted to other facilities run by the Health Board (e.g Inpatient Reablement). The average age of an OPAS patient was 83 yrs and had a CFS > 5. Readmission rate at 14 days was 4% (47).Of the 253 patients who were admitted to an inpatient setting, 13.5% (35) contracted nosocomial covid-19.ConclusionThe service has been supported and funded to expand into extended weekday hours as a result of this success and there are plans for future 7 day working.

Sequential Geriatric Assessment in Older Patients with Colorectal Cancer during Chemotherapy: Subgroup Analysis of a Prospective, Multicenter Study EpiReal 75

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a disease of older patients, but evidence-based guidelines for chemotherapy in older patients are scarce. Geriatric assessment (GA) evaluates a patient’s functional status (FS) and helps in decision-making when choosing chemotherapy for older patients. However, the change of FS during chemotherapy is rarely studied as GA is mostly performed once instead of sequentially. Methods: We performed a subgroup analysis of a prospective, multicenter study EpiReal 75. Patients aged ≥75 years with gastrointestinal malignancy prior to initiation of chemotherapy or receiving palliative chemotherapy were screened. We defined geriatric core assessments including the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score, Barthel’s activities of daily living (ADL) scale, Lawton’s instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scale, and G-8 questionnaire, which were performed at baseline and repeated every 3 months. Quality of life (QoL) assessed by QLQ-C30 questionnaire was also re-evaluated every 3 months. We defined any deterioration in any of the geriatric parameters as unstable in the corresponding function. Results: 28 patients with CRC were enrolled between April 2014 and December 2018. 20 patients were evaluable for statistical analysis with a mean age of 78.5 years (range, 75–88). Most patients received chemotherapy in palliative setting. During 3 months of chemotherapy, 25% of patients became more dependent as measured by ADL or IADL. During a median follow-up of 15 months, patients with unstable ADL or IADL had a significantly shorter overall survival (OS) than those with stable ADL or IADL (p_logrank = 0.0055 and 0.0253, respectively), without a significant difference in progression-free survival (PFS). Also, unstable IADL correlated with a deterioration in aspects of QoL such as role functioning and emotional functioning (p = 0.0189 and 0.0239, respectively). 20% of patients experienced treatment-related grade 3 adverse events (AEs), no grade 4–5 AEs occurred. Conclusion: Sequential GA revealed changes in FS in older patients with CRC receiving chemotherapy. A deterioration of FS during chemotherapy did not influence PFS but had a negative impact on OS and QoL. It is therefore important to maintain FS in older patients with cancer, and regular performance of geriatric core assessments should be encouraged in the clinical practice.

Selected Domains within a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Older Patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma are Highly Associated with Frailty

BackgroundThe incidence of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) is increasing, particularly among older patients who tend to have worse outcomes and can be predisposed to increased toxicities and less treatment tolerance. Therefore, a thorough pre-treatment assessment is essential. A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) can be used to evaluate the older patient considering chemotherapy and is the preferred evaluation tool. However, a formal CGA is laborious, complex and time-consuming.ObjectivesTo characterize older adults with NHL and determine the CGA variables with the greatest association to frailty in order to propose a more simplified assessment.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study using data collected from CGAs in NHL patients > 65 years admitted to our oncology service, from September 2015 to August 2017. Our evaluation parameters included: polypharmacy, a screening tool of older people's prescriptions (STOPP), the Lawton scale, Barthel index, Katz index, gait speed, a Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, a Mini-Mental state examination (MMSE), the Yesavage and Gijon scales, a Mini-nutritional assessment (MNA), a Geriatric Syndromes assessment, and a Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatric (CIRS-G). The formal CGA was comprised of nine domains; frailty was defined as an impairment in > 2 domains. Each parameter was individually compared with frailty, and the results were used to build different multivariate models using logistic regression analyses to obtain the variables with the highest frailty association.ResultsA total of 253 patients were included. Their median age was 75.4 years (range 65–92), and 62.1% had > 1 impaired domain, with 39.9% considered frail. Bivariate analysis showed strong associations with age > 85 and all the geriatric parameters except for STOPP. Our final multivariate analysis resulted in 5 domains (the use of > 5 medications, a Lawton < 7, TUG > 20, Yesavage > 5, and the presence of at least one geriatric syndrome) being significantly associated with frailty and performing similarly to a CGA.ConclusionIn our population of older NHL patients, an abbreviated evaluation based of only five domains, polypharmacy, TUG, Lawton scale, Yesavage scale and the presence of at least one geriatric syndrome, had similar performance to a formal CGA in determining frailty.

Assessing frailty using comprehensive geriatric assessment in older patients with hematologic malignancy.

The incidence of hematologic malignancy increases with age; thus, the number of older patients who require intensive chemotherapy is expected to increase with the aging population. In Korea, 61.8%, 59.3%, 47.0%, and 46.7% of newly diagnosed cases of multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, myeloproliferative disorder, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, respectively, occurred in patients aged >65 years in 2018. Health status among older patients, defined by frailty, age-related syndrome of physiological decline and increased vulnerability, is associated with adverse health outcomes. Health status is highly heterogeneous among older patients, and treatment outcomes vary according to frailty and physiologic age rather than chronologic age. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a multidimensional and multidisciplinary diagnostic and treatment process that identifies multiple domains, including functional status, cognition, comorbidities, medications, socioeconomic status, and nutritional status, to develop a coordinated plan to improve treatment-related outcomes and quality of life. Frailty can be assessed with CGA findings, and CGA is considered the “gold standard of care” for frail, older patients. Through CGA, unidentified problems can be assessed, and pre-emptive and non-oncologic interventions can be delivered. CGA is an objective and reliable tool for predicting further treatment-related complications and identifying patients for whom intensive chemotherapy with curative intent is appropriate. CGA should be considered a routine practice before starting treatment planning in older patients diagnosed with hematologic malignancies who require intensive chemotherapy. Further study is needed to allocate individualized treatment plans or multidisciplinary geriatric interventions according to CGA results.

Enhancing Geriatric Assessment for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma with Intrinsic Capacity: Can we move beyond existing models of Frailty?

We read with interest the review by Akhtar et al. on “Geriatric assessment in older adults with non-Hodgkin lymphoma” [ [1] Akhtar O.S. Huang L.-W. Tsang M. Torka P. Loh K.P. Morrison V.A. et al. Geriatric assessment in older adults with non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a young International Society of Geriatric Oncology (YSIOG) review paper. J Geriatr Oncol. 2022; Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar ], noting the emphasis and incorporation of geriatric assessment in selected clinically validated screening tools such as the Simplified Geriatric Assessment [ [2] Merli F. Luminari S. Tucci A. Arcari A. Rigacci L. Hawkes E. et al. Simplified geriatric assessment in older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: the prospective elderly project of the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi. J Clin Oncol. 2021; 39: 1214-1222 Crossref PubMed Scopus (36) Google Scholar ] and the Geriatric-8 Screening Tool [ [3] Bellera C.A. Rainfray M. Mathoulin-Pelissier S. Mertens C. Delva F. Fonck M. et al. Screening older cancer patients: first evaluation of the G-8 geriatric screening tool. Ann Oncol. 2012; 23: 2166-2172 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (501) Google Scholar ]. These abbreviated geriatric assessment screening tools incorporate the assessment of functional impairment and the identification of frailty into clinical decision making and can predict treatment-related adverse events. While evaluating for frailty is key to the comprehensive geriatric assessment of older patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, using frailty as a lens through which these patients are viewed predominantly, may present an unbalanced perspective of their true functional reserve. In 2015, the World Health Organization, building on existing evidence for frailty, introduced the concept of intrinsic capacity as a novel model for capturing an individual's capacities and functions holistically as a multidimensional indicator of aging [ [4] World Health Organization WHO clinical consortium on healthy ageing topic focus: Frailty and intrinsic capacity. Geneva, Switzerland. 2017 Google Scholar ]. This represents a paradigm shift from Fried's phenotypic model of frailty [ [5] Fried L.P. Tangen C.M. Walston J. Newman A.B. Hirsch C. Gottdiener J. et al. Frailty in older adults: evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol Ser A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001; 56: M146-M157https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/56.3.M146 Crossref PubMed Google Scholar ] or the cumulative-deficit model of frailty by Rockwood et al. [ [6] Rockwood K. Song X. MacKnight C. Bergman H. Hogan D.B. McDowell I. et al. A global clinical measure of fitness and frailty in elderly people. CMAJ. 2005; 173: 489-495https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.050051 Crossref PubMed Scopus (4166) Google Scholar ] toward a capacity-centred model [ [7] Araujo De Carvalho I. Martin C. Cesari M. Sumi Y. Thiyagarajan J.A. Beard J. Operationalising the concept of intrinsic capacity in clinical settings. Geneva, Switzerland. 2017 Google Scholar ]. Five key domains of intrinsic capacity include: cognition, mood, sensory, locomotion and vitality, with each domain influencing one another and interacting with environmental factors [ [8] Cesari M. Araujo De Carvalho I. Thiyagarajan J.A. Cooper C. Martin F.C. Reginster J.-Y. et al. Evidence for the domains supporting the construct of intrinsic capacity. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018; 00: 1-8https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/gly011 Crossref Scopus (212) Google Scholar ].

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Older Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in Hanoi, Vietnam

Introduction: Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) of older diabetic patients is thought to be of value, but there have been limited studies on the prevalence of impairments in the components of a CGA as well as the relationship between CGA and diabetic control in this group. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of components of CGA in older patients with diabetes in National Geriatric Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam, and determine the association among domains of CGA with measures of diabetic control. Methods: A cross-sectional study of diabetic outpatients aged ≥60 years at National Geriatric Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, recruited over 3 months. The CGA questionnaire includes different assessments consisting of cognitive impairment (using Mini-Cog test), depression (using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale), urinary incontinence (using the 3-Incontinence questions), Activities of Daily Living (ADL) dependence, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) dependence, high fall risk (using Hendrich II Fall Risk Model), hearing loss (using Whisper test), low visual acuity (using Snellen test), polypharmacy, malnutrition (using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment Short Form), and multiple geriatric conditions (patients had 2 or more geriatric conditions). Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between demographic factors and CGA components with measures of diabetes control. Results: A total of 412 patients were recruited (56.6% female, mean age 71.9 [7.6] years). Prevalence of impairment in components of the CGA was high and highest for vision impairment (94.2%) and multiple geriatric conditions (89.3%). Age <75 years, cognitive impairment, depressive symptom, IADL impairment, and high fall risk were significantly associated with both poor fasting plasma glucose control (>130 mg/dL) and poor HbA1c control (≥7%). Conclusions: This study highlights that geriatric syndromes are common in older diabetic patients and associated with poorer diabetic control. It suggests CGA may be important to conduct in this group by establishing an interdisciplinary Geriatric health care team.

Current strategies for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia

Introduction. Acute myeloid leukemia is a rare malignancy with an average age of 70 years at diagnosis. Until recently, five-year survival of younger patients with this disease, despite being treated with allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, was &lt; 30%, while in patients older than 60 years it was &lt; 10%. Treatment overview. Due to the heterogeneity of acute myeloid leukemia no new drugs for treating this disease have been introduced for decades. The introduction of new drugs began from 2017: midostaurin, gilteritinib, CPX351, enasidenib, ivosidenib, venetoclax, glasdegib, while gemtuzumab ozogamicin has been reintroduced. Modern treatment strategies require an individual approach, based on prognostic parameters such as cytogenetical and molecular profile of acute myeloid leukemia at diagnosis and the assessment of minimal residual disease evaluated after two cycles of chemotherapy. Moreover, determining the eligibility of patients for ??intensive?? treatment, based on functional status, comorbidities and geriatric assessment of older patients, is necessary. Regarding the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia, the combination of arsenic trioxide and all-trans retinoic acid is universally accepted as the standard of care for non-high risk patients (WBC &lt; 10x109/L), while standard chemotherapy combined with all-trans retinoic acid is still used for high-risk patients (WBC &gt;10x109/L). Conclusion. Novel therapeutic modalities, along with allo-HSCT have changed the outcome of AML patients. However, treating patients unfit for intensive chemotherapy, as well as patients with relapse/refractory disease, is still challenging.

ECOG performance status: Can it replace the geriatric assessment in older patients with cancer?

ECOG performance status: Can it replace the geriatric assessment in older patients with cancer?