Impact of Geriatric Assessment on Radiotherapy Intensity in Older Patients With Nonmetastatic Cancer: A...

Area of Science:

• Geriatric oncology
• Radiation oncology
• Clinical assessment tools

Background:

• Older adults (≥70 years) with cancer often require treatment modifications.
• Geriatric assessment tools can identify vulnerability and guide treatment decisions.
• Predicting radiotherapy intensity reduction is crucial for optimizing care in elderly cancer patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the Geriatric 8 (G8) and Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) scores for predicting radiotherapy intensity reduction in older cancer patients.
• To determine the correlation between geriatric assessment scores and modifications in radiotherapy plans.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter prospective study enrolled 317 non-metastatic cancer patients aged ≥70 years.
• Geriatric assessment was performed using G8 and VES-13 scores before and after radiotherapy.
• Radiotherapy intensity reduction was defined as changes to the irradiation field or schedule.

Main Results:

• Reduced radiotherapy intensity was administered to 10% of patients.
• Vulnerability was identified in 63.4% (G8) and 19.2% (VES-13) of patients before treatment.
• Multivariate analysis showed VES-13 score significantly predicted radiotherapy intensity reduction (P = 0.03), while G8 score did not (P = 0.63).

Conclusions:

• The G8 geriatric assessment tool did not predict radiotherapy intensity reduction or incompletion in older cancer patients.
• The VES-13 score demonstrated predictive value for radiotherapy intensity modifications in this population.
• Geriatric assessment, particularly VES-13, is valuable for guiding radiotherapy decisions in elderly cancer patients.