Results Of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Research Articles

Clinimetric Properties of the “FIND-NEEDS” to Screen Geriatric Conditions

Introduction: Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is used to thoroughly assess and identify complex healthcare problems among older adults. However, administration of CGA is time-consuming and labor intensive. A simple screening tool with the mnemonic “FIND-NEEDS” was developed to quickly identify common geriatric conditions. The present study was to evaluate the clinimetric properties of the FIND-NEEDS. Methods: The participants comprised first-visiting older adults aged 65 years and above (and who were able to communicate by themselves or with the help of a caregiver) who were assessed (October to December, 2021) using the FIND-NEEDS and CGA at geriatric outpatient clinics of a tertiary, referred medical center. The FIND-NEEDS was examined for its criterion-related validity and compared with the CGA results. Two types of scoring (summed score and binary score) of FIND-NEEDS and CGA were analyzed using Spearman correlation, sensitivity and specificity, and area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: The mean age of the 114 outpatients was 78.3 ± 7.6 years, and 79 (69.3%) were female. The internal consistency was excellent when using all FIND-NEEDS items, and was acceptable when using domain scores. Exploratory factor analysis showed that most of the FIND-NEEDS domain scores had factor loadings higher than 0.3. Intercorrelations of binary scores between domains of FIND-NEEDS and CGA showed most domains were moderately correlated. The overall correlation of summed scores between FIND-NEEDS and CGA was high. The FIND-NEEDS summed score was moderately correlated with CGA score (r = 0.494; p < 0.001), and the binary score showed excellent correlation (r = 0.944; p < 0.001). When using the CGA score as the gold standard, the FIND-NEEDS showed excellent AUC (0.950), sensitivity (1.00), and specificity (0.90). Discussion/Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the FIND-NEEDS had acceptable clinimetric properties to screen for geriatric problems among older adults. Further in-depth assessment and care plan can then be conducted afterwards.

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Geriatric Intervention in Older Patients with Newly Diagnosed Lymphoma: A Prospective Study

Introduction: Aggressive and indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas have a median age at diagnosis of 70 years. Above this age, this population is very heterogeneous and clinical outcomes may be worsened due to patient's frailty phenotype. Very few studies of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) guided approach to care have been published. Methods: A prospective follow-up with baseline CGA were performed in a cohort of consecutive patients older than 70 years with newly diagnosed Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma as standard of care. CGA tools are described in Table 1. Clinical outcome has been analyzed in patients diagnosed between May 2016 and March 2021. Results: Ninety-three consecutive patients (55.9% of them were women) were included in this analysis, with a median age of 81.1 years (+/- 5.7). 23 patients (24.7%) were classified as robust (type I), 30 patients (32.3%) as pre-frail (type II) with potentially reversable impairments, 38 patients (40.9%) as frail (type III), and only 2 patients (2.2%) as unfit (type IV). Patients' characteristics are shown in Table 1. All patients received antineoplastic therapy. Treatment modifications were carried out in 64.5% of patients based on CGA results. In the follow-up, with a median follow-up 27.3 months (range 18-74 months), the relapse rate was of 25.8%, with no differences between groups. Overall survival was around 2-fold higher among the fit patients (type I) (42.5 ±19.6 months) than in the disabled patient's group (types III-IV) (23.7 ±20.5 months) (p 0.002) Statistically significant differences in overall survival (p 0.002), response to treatment (p&amp;lt;0.001) and likelihood of increased frailty at the end of treatment (p 0.024) were observed among groups, with type III-IV patients showing worse overall survival (Figure 1), lower response rates, and higher incidence of frailty. Conclusion: Systematic CGA allows physicians to address the functional reserve or resilience in older patients with lymphoma in the need of antineoplastic treatment. A frailty-guide approach to care may allow to improve clinical outcomes in this group of high-risk patients.

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Quality of Life Aspects in Patients with Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC).

To define frailty in older cancer patients, the aim of this study was to assess the geriatric status and quality of life (QoL) aspects in patients suffering from recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (r/m HNSCC) under palliative treatment. A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) was performed on 21 r/m HNSCC patients at two defined assessments, and the QoL aspects and the impact of descriptive data were evaluated. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Spearman's rho correlation, and two-way mixed ANOVA were used for statistical analysis. All patients were found to be "frail". Pain, fatigue, and the burden of illness were the highest-rated symptoms. Oral function and orofacial appearance were highly impaired. A significant impact of descriptive data on the CGA and QoL results was found (all p ≤ 0.05). Thus, the CGA results revealed high frailty, severe comorbidities, and high impairments in QoL aspects. The CGA and QoL results were negatively affected by the primary HNSCC treatment approach, the need for prosthetic treatment, and worse oral functional capacity. Therefore, frailty in r/m HNSCC patients seems to be multidimensional. The evaluation of the CGA and QoL aspects in r/m HNSCC patients can be recommended to detect special needs, organize aftercare, and improve the support for frail and vulnerable cancer patients to create a multidisciplinary treatment approach.

A multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) for the effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) with extensive patient coaching on quality of life (QoL) in older patients with solid tumors receiving systemic therapy: G-oncoCOACH study.

12000 Background: CGA is internationally recommended in the care for older patients with cancer (e.g. ASCO). Only a few recent RCTs have examined the impact on patient’s QoL. Aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of CGA coordinated by a geriatric team combined with intensive patient coaching ( = intervention group (IG)) versus standard of care, which is CGA coordinated by an oncology team ( = control group (CG)) on QoL in older patients with solid tumors receiving systemic therapy. Methods: The G-oncoCOACH study was a multicenter RCT in two academic Belgian hospitals (NCT04069962). Eligibility criteria were 70+ years, solid tumor, systemic therapy with curative or non-curative intent (first/second-line), and physician-estimated life expectancy &gt; 6 months. IG patients received CGA coordinated by the geriatric team in close collaboration with the oncology team, increasing multidisciplinary care and in combination with intensive patient coaching to increase patient compliance. This supports patient empowerment by improving self-efficacy and supporting self-management of age-related problems. It included an individual counselling session at start of systemic therapy to discuss CGA results and recommendations with the patient and to determine their priorities, followed by individual counselling organized at 2, 4.5, 8 and 10 months. Primary endpoint was global health status (GHS) of the European Organisation for Research and Therapy of Cancer (EORTC) QOL questionnaire measured at 6 months after start of systemic therapy. Sample size calculation required &gt; 195 included patients for primary endpoint (≥10 points QoL change at 6 months) for 80% power at 2-sided 5% significance level. After exclusion of multicollinearity, the change in QoL GHS between baseline and 6 months follow-up was analyzed with a mixed model. Results: From 10/2019 to 9/2021, 212 participants were enrolled (CG (n = 107); IG (n = 105)). Mean age was 76.8 years; 52.4% were female (n = 111). The 3 most common tumor types were digestive (n = 65; 30.7%), thorax (n = 44; 20.8%), and urogenital (n = 33; 15.6%). Cancer therapy was started mostly with non-curative intent. After 6 months, the difference between CG and IG in change of adjusted QoL GHS versus baseline amounted 12.8 points in favor of the IG (95%CL 6.7-18.8; p &lt; 0.0001). This difference consisted of an improvement of 4.5 point versus baseline in the IG and decline of 8.2 points in the CG. Secondary endpoints (e.g. QoL at 3 and 12 months, patient satisfaction, severe systemic therapy-related adverse events, survival) will be presented at the meeting. Conclusions: CGA coordinated by a geriatric team combined with extensive patient coaching improves QoL GHS in older patients with cancer compared to CGA coordinated by an oncology team. Clinical trial information: NCT04069962 .

Exploring the completeness of comprehensive geriatric assessment in relation to care outcomes in hospitalized older patients

Exploring the completeness of comprehensive geriatric assessment in relation to care outcomes in hospitalized older patients

Relationships between quality of life and comprehensive geriatric assessment among seniors - a cross-sectional study in Krakow, Poland.

B a c k g r o u n d: Due to current increased life expectancy, the quality of life (QoL) of senior patients is gaining in importance. The aims of this study were: to estimate QoL in a group of patients, aged above 64 years, that is cared for by general practitioners (GPs) in Krakow, Poland, and to find relation- ships between elements of QoL and the results of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and other important medical and social factors. M e t h o d s: We designed a cross-sectional, questionnaire study among patients who attended GPs' surgeries from April 2018 to April 2019. To examine the patients, we used the Euro-Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) and eight scales forming CGA: the Activities of Daily Living, the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, Timed Up and Go Test, Mini Nutritional Assessment, Clinical Frailty Scale and Athens Insomnia Scale. R e s u l t s: The lowest QoL was observed in dimensions of pain/discomfort and mobility, where 70% and 52% of patients, respectively, reported problems in these areas. Only 91 (21%) respondents had highest results in all five dimensions of QoL. The average score in the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of the EQ-5D-5L (representing self-rated health on a given day) was 62.36 ± 18.98 points. Statistically significant relationships were observed between QoL and age, physical activity and multimorbidity (in all cases p <0.001). The results of QoL were correlated with every aspect of CGA, while the strongest relationship was noticed between scores in the EQ-5D-5L VAS scale and scales assessing depression and frailty (p <0.001; r = -0.57 both).

Prospective Emergency Screening Tool Identifies Functional Problems in Geriatric Patients on Admission - Findings of a Validation Study

Objective: To validate the Geramover Screening (GS) against the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) as non-inferiority screening tool for identifying geriatric patients in the emergency department. Method: Using a retrospective database and medical record analysis of GS and CGA results, 189 geriatric patients matched for functional impairment, Barthel index, and derived recommendations on the screening tool. Results: Of the admitted patients 87% were defined as geriatric patients by the GS. The GS showed the following sensitivity/specificity/PPV/NPV compared to the CGA for acute functional disorders: disorders in cognition (0.765/0.772/0.871/0.62; p=0.000), locomotion (0. 938/0.808/0.965/0.700; p=0.000), autonomy (0.927/0.909/0.986/0.645; p=0.000), nutrition (0.379/0.958/0.959/0.374; p=0.000), and overall condition (0.877/1.000/1.000/0.457; p=0.000). The GS, like the CGA, shows a significant negative correlation (-0.316 versus -0.473; p=0.000, 2-sided) between the number of dysfunctions to the level of the Barthel index. Conclusion: The GS, as a valid emergency screening tool for geriatric patients, is not inferior to the CGA in correct, early detection of functional disorders and mapping of the correlated autonomy scale Barthel Index.

Morbidity profile among older people at primary health care centers in Saudi Arabia during the period 2012-2020

To evaluate the morbidity profile and explore the geriatric giants, health problems, and their risk factors among old people in the older people health clinics at primary health care centers (PHCCs) in Saudi Arabia. This is a record-based descriptive cross-sectional study. Data was collected between 2012-2020 using the health data of older people to whom comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) was carried out at 1,481 PHCCs in Saudi Arabia. Data included sociodemographic and health related characteristics, medications, results of CGA, complete clinical examination, and laboratory results. Assessment was carried out for diabetes, hypertension, obesity, underweight, vision and hearing impairments, depression, memory and cognitive impairment, risk of falls, urine incontinence, bronchial asthma, and anemia. A total of 193,715 older people were screened. A high prevalence of diabetes (55.4%), hypertension (49.1%), diabetes and hypertension co-morbidity (26.8%), and obesity (22.2%) were found. The overall prevalence of anemia was 4.7% and asthma 8.9%. The prevalence of positive screening for depression was 5.9%, 2.9% for memory and cognitive impairment, 6.3% for urine incontinence, and 4.0% for risk of fall. The prevalence of vision impairment was 20.6%, hearing impairments was 12.6%, and for underweight it was 5.4%. There was high prevalence of risk factors like smoking (8.5%), and polypharmacy (25.3%). Health regions varied widely in prevalence of the studied health conditions. The study findings highlight the importance of CGA in early detection of geriatric giants, health problems, and associated risk factors among Saudi older people.

Impact of patients' sex in assessments and treatment recommendations in an older adult cancer clinic

IntroductionIn multiple settings, sex disparities have been seen in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. This study sought to determine whether there are sex differences in a geriatric oncology clinic concerning results of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and treatment recommendations. Materials and MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort study including patients ≥65 years old referred for consultation on cancer treatment decision-making who underwent a CGA between July 2015 and December 2020, in a single Canadian academic geriatric oncology (GO) clinic. We examined differences by sex, stratified by disease site, stage, treatment intent, CGA results by domain, final treatment plan, and referrals for abnormal CGA findings. Differences were assessed using chi-square, Fisher's exact, or t-test as appropriate. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine whether sex impacted recommendations to reduce treatment intensity. ResultsIn the study period, 328 patients were assessed in the GO clinic (mean age 81 years). The most common cancer types were gastrointestinal (42.1%), hematologic (18.3%), and head and neck (17.3%). More males than females were assessed in the GO clinic (62.2% versus 37.8%, respectively). This proportion did not change over time (p = 0.58). The GO clinic recommended to reduce treatment intensity in 140 cases (42.7%), with no difference between sexes in adjusted models (43.6% of females and 42.2% of males, p = 0.80). There were no differences in any CGA domain by sex. There were also no differences in referrals made by the GO clinic to optimize abnormal CGA domains by sex. DiscussionSex itself did not impact treatment decision-making, nor referrals to optimize abnormal CGA domains in our GO clinic using CGA-based care.

Prefrailty subtypes differentially predict 5-year mortality in the functionally independent geriatric population

IntroductionBoth frailty and prefrailty (PF) are related to mortality. However, there is no consensus about the PF subtypes for prediction of the mortality risk. We aimed to compare the 5-year mortality of functionally independent geriatric outpatients with nonfrailty, different PF subtypes and frailty. MethodsThis was a single-center, retrospective cohort study. Community-dwelling older adults who visited the geriatric outpatient clinic in a healthcare institution in Taiwan were enrolled. PF1 was defined based on exhaustion and/or body weight loss whereas PF2 was defined by one or two of the following criteria: weakness, slowness, and low physical activity. Frailty was defined by three or more above criteria. Demographics and results of comprehensive geriatric assessment were compared and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to determine the 5-year survival among the nonfrail, PF1, PF2 and frail groups. ResultsOf the 982 participants, the proportion of PF and frailty was high (PF 45.7% and frailty 24.5%). The cumulative 5-year survival rate of the nonfrail group, PF1, PF2 subgroups and frail group was 98.6%, 95.8%, 89.1% and 81.3% respectively. Age, male sex, PF2 subtype and frailty were significantly associated with 5-year mortality [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 1.05 (1.01–1.08), 1.96 (1.08–3.57), 5.18 (1.57–17.09), and 6.87 (2.05–23.04), respectively]. Discussion and conclusionThe proportion of PF and frailty was high in old outpatient population with functional independence. PF2 subtypes and frailty could influence the 5-year mortality risk in these participants. Identifying PF2 participants earlier and instituting prompt intervention may be beneficial in older patients.

Home-based geriatric oncology care: A feasibility study.

62 Background: The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) improves the outcomes of older patients with cancer, and by identifying of geriatric impairments the CGA can guide the development of supportive interventions. However, the implementation of these interventions in a real-world setting can be burdensome for patients, particularly when additional visits are required in an often frail population. Therefore, our team developed a collaborative model for home-based delivery of CGA-guided interventions. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of community-dwelling patients aged ≥ 70 years with an active cancer diagnosis who were deemed to be frail by a CGA and who received home-based CGA-guided supportive interventions under a collaborative care model established by the geriatric oncology and the palliative home care teams at Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute between October 2020 and April 2022. The collaboration is based on multidisciplinary discussion of the CGA results / interventions and weekly rounds to discuss patient’s progress and emerging needs. Results: A total of 182 patients received a CGA during the study period, 54% (n = 99) were determined to be frail based on impairment in ≥ 7 geriatric domains. Among all eligible patients, 19 patients (19%) were included in the collaborative model. The median age of enrolled patients was 84 years (74-90), 12/19 (63%) had metastatic cancer, 7/19 (37%) received systemic treatment, and 8/19 (42%) received radiation. The average number of geriatric impairments per patients was 9.5 (7-12). Geriatric impairments addressed at home were skilled nursing (19/19), physical therapy (18/19), occupational therapy (12/19), speech-language-pathology (2/19), nutrition (5/19), or social worker (11/19) support at home. The average number of unplanned hospitalizations was 1.16 per patient (range 0-4), and the average unplanned emergency room visit was 0.89 per person (range 0-4) during study time. Transition to hospice occurred in 8/19 patients (42%), the median time to transition to hospice was 33.5 days (15-167). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of a collaborative model for home-based geriatric oncology care in a real-world setting to help reduce the burden of care on patients and ensure patient-centered delivery of CGA-guided interventions. Findings underscore the need for future work to evaluate the impact of this novel geriatric oncology care model on patient outcomes.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment for older orthopedic patients and analysis of risk factors for postoperative complications

BackgroundThe comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) has been proposed as a supplementary tool to reduce perioperative complications of geriatric patients, however there is no universally accepted standardization of CGA for orthopedic surgery. In this study, a novel CGA strategy was applied to evaluate the conditions of older patients undergoing orthopedic surgery from a broad view and to identify potential risk factors for postoperative complications.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted from March 2019 to December 2020.The study enrolled patients (age > 75 years) for elective or confined orthopedic surgery. All patients were treated by a multidisciplinary team. A structured CGA was conducted to identify high-risk older patients and to facilitate coordinated multidisciplinary team care by a geriatric team. The basic patient characteristics, CGA results, postoperative complication and mortality rates were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for postoperative complications.ResultsA total of 214 patients with an age of 81.07 ± 4.78 (range, 75–100) years were prospectively enrolled in this study. In total, 66 (30.8%) complications were registered, including one death from myocardial infarction (mortality rate, 0.5%). Poor Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) were accompanied by frailty, worse perioperative risk, pain, and nutritional status. Poor ADL was also associated with higher risks of falling, polypharmacy, and cardiac and respiration complications. Poor IADL was associated with a higher risk of cardiac and respiration complications. Higher stroke risk was accompanied by higher risks of cardiac complications, delirium, and hemorrhage. Worse American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score was associated with worse ADL, IADL, frailty, and higher delirium risk. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that spinal fusion (odds ratio [OR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65 to 0.83; p = 0.0214), blood loss(OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.31 to 2.01; p = 0.0168), ADL (severe dysfunction or worse) (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.81; p = 0.0413), IADL (serious dependence) (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.33 to 1.63; p = 0.0436), renal function (chronic kidney disease (CKD) ≥ stage 3a) (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.54 to 2.55; p = 0.0133), and malnutrition(OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.74 to 2.56; p = 0.0101) were independent risk factors for postoperative complications.ConclusionThe CGA process reduces patient mortality and increases safety in older orthopedic surgery patients. Spinal fusion, blood loss, ADL (severe dysfunction or worse), IADL (serious dependence), renal function (CKD ≥ stage 3a) and nutrition mini nutritional assessment (MNA) (malnourished) were independent risk factors of postoperative complications following orthopaedic surgery in older patients.

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.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment as a useful tool in predicting adverse events in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

We conducted a multicenter prospective study on whether a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) can predict the adverse events (AEs) of chemotherapy in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Patients aged ≥ 65 years with newly diagnosed DLBCL underwent a pretreatment baseline CGA consisting of six assessment tools: activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL (IADL), mood, nutritional status, comorbidities, and cognitive function. An attending physician chose each patient’s treatment but was blind to CGA results. Patients were grouped as “dependent” or “independent” according to the CGA. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the association between chemotherapy-induced grade 3–4 toxicity and CGA. Of 86 patients, 78 completed the designated CGA. The median age was 79 years (65–89). Seventy-two patients were treated with a cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (CHOP-like) regimen, and six were treated with low-toxicity regimens. Forty-one patients were classified as dependent and 37 as independent. In multivariate analysis, an impairment of IADL was independently associated with grade 3–4 leukopenia (odds ratio [OR] 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43–0.92, p = 0.017) and anemia (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.50–0.90, p = 0.008). The presence of a comorbidity was also associated with grade 3–4 non-hematological toxicity (OR 2.17; 95% CI 1.37–3.43, p = 0.001). The 4-year survival rate tended to be longer in the independent (72.7%) compared to dependent (56.9%) group. Overall, a CGA may be a useful tool for predicting serious AEs associated with chemotherapy in elderly patients with DLBCL.

Geriatric approach to the treatment of senile patients with colorectal cancer

Introduction. The lack of consensus guidelines for the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) in senile patients, the high incidence of early postoperative complications after radical surgery caused the search for the most optimal approach to the management of this category of patients.The aim is to introduce a geriatric approach to the treatment of colorectal cancer in senile patients, reduce the incidence of Clavien–Dindo grade 4 early postoperative complications.Materials and methods. 190 senile patients who underwent radical surgery with D3 lymphadenectomy with stage II and III colorectal cancer were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two groups: the control group included 100 patients who underwent standard treatment, the study group included 90 patients, to whom the geriatric approach with a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and subsequent pre-rehabilitation was applied. A comparative intergroup analysis was performed on the basis of obtained data.Results. The study group differed from the control group in higher polymorbidity and high operational and anesthetic risk (p &lt;0.001). Implementation of geriatric pre-rehabilitation with due account for CGA results and correction of polymorbidity improved chances of providing surgical care using laparoscopic and robotic technologies. The frequency of intraoperative blood transfusion and prolonged mechanical ventilation in the study group was reduced (p &lt;0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively). Predictors that increase the chances of developing acute postoperative myocardial infarction were identified. They included the patient’s male gender (p = 0.004), redo surgery after development of early postoperative complications (p = 0.043), prolonged mechanical ventilation (p = 0.052), increased length of stay in the intensive care unit (p = 0.011), and comorbidity (p = 0.022). The introduction of the geriatric approach made it possible to reduce the risk of postoperative myocardial infarction by 17.86 times (p = 0.007).Conclusion. The geriatric approach to the senile patients with colorectal cancer makes it possible to expand the indications for radical treatment in severe polymorbidity and senile asthenia, as well as to reduce the incidence of early postoperative complications.

Aging-Related Concerns of People Living with HIV Referred for Geriatric Consultation.

PurposePeople with HIV (PWH) are living longer lives and likely experiencing accentuated aging. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) has been proposed as a way to identify and help meet each individual patient’s needs.Patients and MethodsWe performed a retrospective review of the results of CGA in an HIV clinic in New York City. CGA included assessment of basic and instrumental activities of daily living, screens for depression, anxiety, frailty, cognition, and quality of life, along with general discussion of concerns and goals. We compared the group of PWH referred for CGA to those of comparable age who were not referred to determine the factors that were associated with referral. We carried out a descriptive analysis of those undergoing CGA, along with regression to determine factors associated with poorer PHQ-2 depression scores and higher VACS score.ResultsA total of 105 patients underwent full CGA during the study period. Mean age of referred patients was 66.5 years, ranging from 50 to 84 years (SD 7.99). More than 92% were virally suppressed. Compared with their non-referred counterparts over 50, referred patients were older and had more functional comorbidities like cerebrovascular disease, neuropathy, and urinary incontinence. More than half complained of fatigue, and 2/3 noted poor memory. Almost 60% were frail or prefrail. Ninety patients were asked about their goals, and the most commonly cited were related to health or finances; fifteen patients were unable to articulate any goals. Having fewer goals and noting weight loss or fatigue were predictive of higher scores on the PHQ-2 depression screen.ConclusionAlthough most older PWH undergoing CGA can manage their ADL, many have concerns and deficits beyond their comorbidities. CGA offers an important window into the psychosocial concerns and needs of older PWH.

Sex-related differences in the effects of nutritional status and body composition on functional disability in the elderly.

BackgroundThe aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of changes of nutritional status and body composition on the results of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in inpatients of a geriatric ward. Sex differences in these relationships were also investigated.MethodsA total of 212 elderly patients (>65 years old) admitted to the geriatric ward at the University of Tokyo hospital between 2012 and 2019 were enrolled in this study. CGA (ADL, IADL, MMSE, GDS, Vitality Index) was performed, along with assessment of body compositions (appendicular muscle mass, abdominal muscle mass, body fat mass) and blood malnutrition biomarkers (serum albumin, pre-albumin, 25-hydroxy vitamin D, zinc, hemoglobin concentrations).ResultsMultiple linear regression analysis showed that upper, lower limbs and abdominal muscle masses were significantly associated with the score on ADL in men. On the other hand, abdominal muscle mass was negatively associated with the scores on GDS. Body fat mass was also negatively associated with the score on IADL. In contrast, in women, multiple linear regression analysis failed to show any significant associations between body composition parameters and scores on any domains of CGA. Unlike in men, however, blood malnutrition biomarkers were significantly associated with ADL, IADL, MMSE, and Vitality Index in women.ConclusionsOur study findings revealed that the association of the nutritional status and body composition with the functional status in the elderly differs by sex. These results suggest that intensification of exercise in men and improvement of the nutritional status in women are particularly useful to maintain the functional status.

Type 2 Diabetes Correlates with Comorbidity and Nutritional Status but Not with Functional Health in Geriatric Ward Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Poland.

PurposeThe study aimed to assess the comorbidity profile, functional, and nutritional health in geriatric ward patients depending on their type 2 diabetes (DM) status.Patients and MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study of 416 patients – median age 82 years (IQR 77–86), 77.4% female, 96.9% community-dwelling – consecutively admitted to the geriatric ward at the turn of 2014 and 2015. Comprehensive geriatric assessment results were analyzed (including self-care and instrumental activities of daily living, cognitive abilities, emotional health, risk of falls, frailty status, dynapenia, nutritional health, morbidity, biochemical parameters, and pharmacotherapy).ResultsDM was observed in 126 (30.3%) patients hospitalized in the study period; 4% of DM cases were newly diagnosed. In comparison to patients without DM, older adults with type 2 DM were significantly more frequently burdened with multimorbidity (61.1% versus 39.7%, P<0.001), polypharmacy (88.9% versus 74.7%, P=0.001), obesity (59.8% versus 34.5%, P<0.001), abdominal obesity (94.4% versus 75.5%, P<001), chronic kidney disease (61.1% versus 48.6%, P=0.02) and cardiovascular diseases: ischemic heart disease (66.7% versus 47.9%, P<0.001), congestive heart failure (50.0% versus 34.1%, P=0.002), atrial fibrillation (30.2% versus 20.7%, P=0.04) and peripheral arterial disease (24.6% versus 11.4%, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in all functional parameters evaluated.ConclusionType 2 DM patients were significantly more often burdened with multimorbidity, polypharmacy, obesity, and had an unfavorable profile of cardiovascular diseases than patients without DM, but – contrary to our expectations – they did not differ in any functional characteristic assessed. However, this may be due to the geriatric ward patients’ specificity of health problems in the advanced, more complex disablement process phases.

Do subjectively and objectively impaired oral health parameters influence geriatric assessment results in hospitalized geriatric patients?

Impaired oral health affects oral health-related quality of life (OHrQoL) in orthogeriatric hospitalized patients, and both might be associated with potential risk factors for functional impairment, based on the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and related blood laboratory values. As data on this field are scarce, we investigated possible associations between oral health, items of the geriatric oral health assessment instrument (GOHAI), CGA assessment tools, and relevant laboratory values. Explorative cross-sectional pilot study investigating oral and general health, OHrQoL, and functionality based on objective oral health, GOHAI, CGA, and routinely assessed laboratory parameters of orthogeriatric patients. Correlations (Spearman's rho and Pearson's) and regression analysis were performed for the dependent variables functionality, cognition, Mini-Nutritional Assessment, Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), and the 15-item geriatric depression scale (GDS). Among all participants (N = 40), several GOHAI single items (GOHAI 1,4,5,7,10,11) correlated with certain CGA assessment results (fear of falling, Barthel index, handgrip power). Reduced subjective oral health (GOHAI, xerostomia) and objective oral health (oral hygiene index, root caries index, unstimulated salivation rate) correlated with reduced general health and CGA results (polypharmacy, handgrip power, FES, GDS). Anemia was seen in all participants, but no associations between reduced oral health and laboratory blood values were detected. Our results demonstrate the association between impaired subjective and objective oral health, OHrQoL, and physical functional impairment among orthogeriatric patients. Impaired GOHAI item results at the dentist, and the association between GOHAI values and CGA results that implies an association between physical and oral health, should encourage a geriatric check based on CGA, and vice versa. Results encourage interdisciplinary cooperation between geriatricians and dentists, but also indicate the need for further research in this field. DRKS00013230.

Abstract P4-16-01: Feasibility of comprehensive geriatric assessment in an academic breast oncology clinic

Abstract Introduction: Adults age ≥65y constitute the majority of patients (pts) diagnosed with cancer. There is a gap in knowledge about the safest and most effect cancer treatments for older pts. At The Ohio State University, we have a longitudinal multidisciplinary geriatric clinic for adults ≥ 65 years of age diagnosed with breast cancer (BC). The clinic team consists of a physician, nurse practitioner, dietician, physical therapist, social worker nurse, and pharmacist. We evaluate the unique needs of older pts with breast cancer by completing a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). Eligible patients are enrolled into OSU-16153 which is a is prospective cohort study of pts ≥65y with new diagnosis of BC to better understand complex health issues of this population, and to collect data to support future studies. Methods: Forty eight pts have completed the baseline questionnaires including demographics, lifestyle and health history and CGA. Summary statistics were used to describe the baseline characteristics. Results: The median age of patients enrolled in the study was 77 years (range 67-94), the mean BMI was 28, 50% (24/48) were Caucasian and 6% (3/48) were African American. Mobility was assessed mobility with the time get up and go (TGUG), mean 9.8 (SD=6.2) and grip strength, mean of 31. Cognitive limitations were screened with the blessed orientation memory concentration test, mean 3.9 (SD=5.0) and mini-cog, mean 3.6 (SD=1), malnutrition, mean 12.3 (SD=12.2) and depression, mean 1.6 (SD=2.4). Functional limitations were measured with Katz, mean 5.9 (SD=0.2), and Lawson, mean 7.8 (SD=0.8). Disease characteristics included 18% (9/48) Tis, 54% (26/48) T1, 21% (10/48) T2, 2%(1/48) T3, and 4% (2/48) T4 tumors, 65% (31/48) lymph node negative and 81% (39/48) estrogen positive (ER+),17% (8/48) ER negative and 4% (2/48) HER2 positive. Oncotype score was &amp;lt;25 in 19% (9/48) and &amp;gt;25 in 4% (2/48). Twelve percent (6/48) received adjuvant chemotherapy for triple negative or ER+ breast cancer with high oncotype with docetaxel/cytoxan and 4% received trastuzumab based therapy and they were able to complete all planned cycles. Two pts received chemotherapy based on results of CGA. Forty-two pts were eligible to receive endocrine therapy (ET); 3 pts with ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) and 2 pts with invasive BC declined, 1 did not follow up after her initial visit. Five pts switched ET due to side effects. The 7 patients with invasive BC who declined or switched ET due to side effects all had an abnormal TGUG, 43% (3/7) had an impaired min-cog and 57% (4/7) had impaired hand grip. Conclusions: The majority of older adults have no functional deficits in ADL/IADL, have adequate mobility and grip strength and did not screen positive for cognitive limitations, depression or, malnutrition. Our data shows that the mobility and cognitive assessment of a CGA may serve as a predictor of toxicity from ET therapy and identify patients who are at risk for side effects and who may benefit from additional interventions. The majority of pts who received adjuvant chemotherapy and ET tolerated well. Our pilot data shows a CGA is feasible and that a CGA helped direct appropriate therapy. Citation Format: Nicole Williams, Julie Stephens, Elizabeth Kress, Erin Frey, Susan Fugett, Paige Erdeljac, Stephanie Yager, Erin Holley, Cari Utendorf, Nikki Ford, Caitln Ubbing, Jeanie Overcash, Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy, Anne Noonan. Feasibility of comprehensive geriatric assessment in an academic breast oncology clinic [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-16-01.