Expanding the Evidence Base in Geriatric Oncology: Action Items From an FDA-ASCO Workshop

As part of the ongoing efforts to address the lack of clinical research on older adults with cancer, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the US Food and Drug Administration cosponsored a public workshop on geriatric oncology in November 2017. The goals were to review progress, build collaborations across stakeholders, and generate new action items for increasing the evidence base for treating older adults with cancer. It built on previous work of the Institute of Medicine, ASCO, and the U13 Conferences convened by the Cancer and Aging Research Group, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institute of Aging between 2010 and 2015. The workshop drew a diverse group of presenters, panelists, and attendees, including academic and clinical oncologists, regulators, other government officials, representatives from industry, and patient advocacy groups. Attendees at the workshop were tasked with proposing next steps to address the lack of evidence on treating older adults with cancer. Based on the workshop discussions, four new action items to move the field forward were developed: 1) increase enrollment of older adults in clinical trials, 2) collect more information on older adults enrolled on clinical trials, 3) expand the use of real-world data in research on older adults, and 4) strengthen collaboration between stakeholders to develop advocacy and policy solutions. These action items, alongside the previous ASCO, Institute of Medicine, and U13 recommendations, provide a strategy for improving the evidence base for treating older adults with cancer and ensuring all patients with cancer receive high-quality, evidence-based care.