Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · South Asian J Cancer
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1806763
Consensus

Setting Up Geriatric Oncology Clinical Services: Asian Geriatric Oncology Society Guidelines 2025 (Part 1)

Purvish M. Parikh
1   Department of Clinical Hematology, Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
,
Joyita Banerjee
2   Department of Field Operations, Program for Global Health, Aging and Policy, CESD, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
,
Rejiv Rajendranath
3   Department of Geriatric Oncology, Gericare Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
,
Naganath Narasimhan Prem
4   Department of Geriatrics, MOC, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Nidhi Soni
5   Department of Geriatric Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
T.V.S.V.G.K. Tilak 
6   Department of Medical Oncology, Air Force Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
,
(on behalf of the Asian Geriatric Oncology Society) › Author Affiliations Funding None.
› Further Information
Also available at
   Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

In this article, the Asian Geriatric Oncology Society provides an overview on how to develop geriatric oncology services in the clinical setting. This overview gives an insight into the rationale; key stakeholders; four essential components of the services; multidisciplinary team and tumor boards; assessment and screening protocols; data, research, and audit; professional education, development, and training; and communication, awareness and social medial utilization. In the second part of the article, we focus on optimizing resource utilization in constrained settings—dividing them into “must have” and “good to have.”

Keywords

rationale - key stakeholders - clinical services - data - social media


Publication History

Received: 24 January 2025

Accepted: 15 February 2025

Article published online:
18 March 2025

© 2025. MedIntel Services Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India

 

  • References

  • 1 Prem NN, Pillai A, Banerjee J. Making the seniors tech savvy: the way forward to bringing cancer care to the doorstep. Cancer Res Stat Treat 2022; 5: 163-164
    CrossrefSearch in Google Scholar
  • 2 Verma AK, Singh P, Al-Saeed FA. et al. Unravelling the role of telomere shortening with ageing and their potential association with diabetes, cancer, and related lifestyle factors. Tissue Cell 2022; 79: 101925
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 3 Pathi N, Parikh PM, Banerjee J, Tilak T, Prem NN, Pillai A. Unmet needs in geriatric oncology. South Asian J Cancer 2023; 12 (02) 221-227
    Thieme ConnectPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 4 Banerjee J, Behal P, Satapathy S. et al. Implementing and validating a care protocol for older adults with cancer in resource limited settings with a newly developed screening tool. J Geriatr Oncol 2021; 12 (01) 139-145
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 5 Parikh PM, Chaitanya K, Boppana M, Kumar SM, Shankar K. Geriatric oncology landscape in India: current scenario and future projections. Cancer Res Stat Treat 2020; 3 (02) 296-299
    CrossrefSearch in Google Scholar
  • 6 Karnakis T, Souza PMR, Kanaji AL, Chinaglia L, Bezerra MR, Almeida OLS. The role of geriatric oncology in the care of older people with cancer: some evidence from Brazil and the world. Rev Assoc Med Bras 2024; 70 (1, Suppl 1): S118
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 7 Alibhai SMH, Alam Z, Saluja R. et al. Economic evaluation of a geriatric oncology clinic. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14 (03) 789
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 8 Townsley CA, Naidoo K, Pond GR, Melnick W, Straus SE, Siu LL. Are older cancer patients being referred to oncologists? A mail questionnaire of Ontario primary care practitioners to evaluate their referral patterns. J Clin Oncol 2003; 21 (24) 4627-4635
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 9 Lichtman SM. Integration of geriatrics in oncology training: the relationship between the academic center and the community. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2000; 33 (01) 57-59
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 10 Eng L, Bender J, Hueniken K. et al. Age differences in patterns and confidence of using internet and social media for cancer-care among cancer survivors. J Geriatr Oncol 2020; 11 (06) 1011-1019
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 11 Alexander K, Tin AL, McMillan S. et al. Telemedicine in geriatric oncology is here to stay. Front Med (Lausanne) 2024; 11: 1439975
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 12 Sukino. The Effects of Social Media on the Elderly. 2024. Accessed January 22, 2025 at: https://sukino.com/the-effects-of-social-media-on-the-elderly/#:~:text=Negative%20Impact%20of%20Social%20Media,in%20access%20and%20technology%20literacy
  • 13 The Hindu. Geri Care hosts first Asian Geriatric Oncology Society Conference in Chennai. 2024. Accessed January 22, 2025 at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/geri-care-hosts-first-asian-geriatric-oncology-society-conference-in-chennai/article68693710.ece
  • 14 Zuccarino S, Monacelli F, Antognoli R. et al. Exploring cost-effectiveness of the comprehensive geriatric assessment in geriatric oncology: a narrative review. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14 (13) 3235
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 15 Fagard K, Casaer J, Wolthuis A. et al. Value of geriatric screening and assessment in predicting postoperative complications in patients older than 70 years undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer. J Geriatr Oncol 2017; 8 (05) 320-327
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 16 Extermann M, Boler I, Reich RR. et al. Predicting the risk of chemotherapy toxicity in older patients: the Chemotherapy Risk Assessment Scale for High-Age Patients (CRASH) score. Cancer 2012; 118 (13) 3377-3386
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 17 Rao AR, Noronha V, Ramaswamy A. et al. Assessing frailty in older Indian patients before cancer treatment: comparative analysis of three scales and their implications for overall survival. J Geriatr Oncol 2024; 15 (03) 101736
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 18 Shah M, Noronha V, Ramaswamy A. et al. G8 and VES-13 as screening tools for geriatric assessment and predictors of survival in older Indian patients with cancer. J Geriatr Oncol 2022; 13 (05) 720-730
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 19 Hurria A, Mohile S, Gajra A. et al. Validation of a prediction tool for chemotherapy toxicity in older adults with cancer. J Clin Oncol 2016; 34 (20) 2366-2371
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 20 Saliba D, Elliott M, Rubenstein LZ. et al. The Vulnerable Elders Survey: a tool for identifying vulnerable older people in the community. J Am Geriatr Soc 2001; 49 (12) 1691-1699
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 21 Bellera CA, Rainfray M, Mathoulin-Pélissier S. et al. Screening older cancer patients: first evaluation of the G-8 geriatric screening tool. Ann Oncol 2012; 23 (08) 2166-2172
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 22 Overcash JA, Beckstead J, Extermann M, Cobb S. The abbreviated comprehensive geriatric assessment (aCGA): a retrospective analysis. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2005; 54 (02) 129-136
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 23 Valero S, Fazilleau A, De Keizer J. et al. F-OGS, a new “Follow-up Onco-Geriatric Screening” tool during the follow-up of older patients undergoing oncological treatment. Pilot study of feasibility and acceptability. J Geriatr Oncol 2022; 13 (03) 315-317
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 24 Parikh PM. Ayurvedic doctors cannot prescribe allopathic medicines: National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission judgement. South Asian J Cancer 2023; 12 (02) 100-103
    Thieme ConnectPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 25 Vijaykumar DK, Anupama R, Gorasia TK, Beegum TR, Gangadharan P. Geriatric oncology: the need for a separate subspecialty. Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2012; 33 (02) 134-136
    Thieme ConnectPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 26 Akhade A, Verduzco-Aguirre H, Gyawali B. Geriatric oncology in LMICs: it is time to mature. BMJ Oncol 2024; 3 (01) e000537
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 27 Sansar B, Gupta A, Chitre A. et al. At crossroads: the challenges for geriatric oncology in India. South Asian J Cancer 2024; (e-pub ahead of print)
    Thieme ConnectSearch in Google Scholar
  • 28 Shivashankara BJ, Banerjee J, Mehrotra R, Wildes TM. Improving care for older adults with hematological malignancies in India: conquering the challenge. J Geriatr Oncol 2023; 14 (06) 101536
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 29 Ostwal V, Ramaswamy A, Bhargava P. et al. Cancer Aging Research Group (CARG) score in older adults undergoing curative intent chemotherapy: a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open 2021; 11 (06) e047376
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 30 Kandel R, Banerjee J, Saravanan M. et al. Challenges and determinants in the management of the older patients with cancer: report from a low- and middle-income country. J Indian Acad Geriatr 2021; 17: 2-8
    CrossrefSearch in Google Scholar
  • 31 Thapliyal K, Thapliyal M, Thapliyal D. Social media and health communication: a review of advantages, challenges, and best practices. In: Almeida R, Garcia M. eds. Emerging Technologies for Health Literacy and Medical Practice. Hershey, PA: IGI Global; 2024: 364-384
    Search in Google Scholar