Patient-reported symptoms and performance status before palliative radiotherapy in geriatric cancer patients...

To evaluate differences in baseline parameters including performance status and self-reported symptom burden between geriatric and non-geriatric cancer patients, and to assess the hypothesis that these factors might predispose older patients to incomplete radiotherapy and short survival.

Retrospective comparison of geriatric and non-geriatric patients treated with palliative radiotherapy (age ⩾80 years and <80 years, respectively). Between 2013 and 2015, 26 geriatric and 76 non-geriatric patients were treated. The Edmonton symptom assessment system (ESAS) was employed to document baseline symptoms.

Most patients received radiotherapy for bone metastases, commonly 5-10 fractions. Geriatric patients had significantly less pain at rest and depression. No strong trends towards higher symptom burden in older patients emerged for any of the items. Overall survival was similar in the two subgroups with different age and also in a separate age-stratified analysis of patients with performance status >2. Relatively few patients were irradiated in the terminal stage of disease, defined as final 30 days of life (8% in geriatric and 12% in other patients, p = 0.73). A higher number of geriatric patients failed to complete their prescribed course of radiotherapy (14 vs. 3%, p = 0.08), despite lower rates of prescription of more than 10 fractions in this group (15 vs. 23%, p > 0.2).

These data support utilization of palliative radiotherapy irrespective of age. However, care should be taken in assigning the right fractionation regimen in order to avoid lengthy treatment courses when survival is limited, such as in patients with performance status >2.