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Adapting care for older cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recommendations from the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) COVID-19 Working Group

Battisti, Nicol� Matteo Luca; Mislang, Anna Rachelle; Cooper, Lisa; O'Donovan, Anita; Audisio, Riccardo A.; Cheung, Kwok Leung; Sarri�, Regina Giron�s; Stauder, Reinhard; Soto-Perez-de-Celis, Enrique; Jaklitsch, Michael; Williams, Grant R.; O'Hanlon, Shane; Alam, Mahmood; Cairo, Clarito; Colloca, Giuseppe; Gil, Luiz Antonio; Sattar, Schroder; Kantilal, Kumud; Russo, Chiara; Lichtman, Stuart M.; Brain, Etienne; Kanesvaran, Ravindran; Wildiers, Hans

Adapting care for older cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recommendations from the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) COVID-19 Working Group Thumbnail


Authors

Nicol� Matteo Luca Battisti

Anna Rachelle Mislang

Lisa Cooper

Anita O'Donovan

Riccardo A. Audisio

Regina Giron�s Sarri�

Reinhard Stauder

Enrique Soto-Perez-de-Celis

Michael Jaklitsch

Grant R. Williams

Shane O'Hanlon

Mahmood Alam

Clarito Cairo

Giuseppe Colloca

Luiz Antonio Gil

Schroder Sattar

Kumud Kantilal

Chiara Russo

Stuart M. Lichtman

Etienne Brain

Ravindran Kanesvaran

Hans Wildiers



Abstract

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a barrier to equal and evidence-based management of cancer in older adults. The International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) formed a panel of experts to develop consensus recommendations on the implications of the pandemic on several aspects of cancer care in this age group including geriatric assessment (GA), surgery, radiotherapy, systemic treatment, palliative care and research. Age and cancer diagnosis are significant predictors of adverse outcomes of the COVID-19 infection. In this setting, GA is particularly valuable to drive decision-making. GA may aid estimating physiologic reserve and adaptive capability, assessing risk-benefits of either providing or temporarily withholding treatments, and determining patient preferences to help inform treatment decisions. In a resource-constrained setting, geriatric screening tools may be administered remotely to identify patients requiring comprehensive GA. Tele-health is also crucial to ensure adequate continuity of care and minimize the risk of infection exposure. In general, therapeutic decisions should favor the most effective and least invasive approach with the lowest risk of adverse outcomes. In selected cases, this might require deferring or omitting surgery, radiotherapy or systemic treatments especially where benefits are marginal and alternative safe therapeutic options are available. Ongoing research is necessary to expand knowledge of the management of cancer in older adults. However, the pandemic presents a significant barrier and efforts should be made to ensure equitable access to clinical trials and prospective data collection to elucidate the outcomes of COVID-19 in this population.

Citation

Battisti, N. M. L., Mislang, A. R., Cooper, L., O'Donovan, A., Audisio, R. A., Cheung, K. L., …Wildiers, H. (2020). Adapting care for older cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recommendations from the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) COVID-19 Working Group. Journal of Geriatric Oncology, 11(8), 1190-1198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgo.2020.07.008

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 10, 2020
Online Publication Date Jul 16, 2020
Publication Date Nov 1, 2020
Deposit Date Jul 27, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal of Geriatric Oncology
Print ISSN 1879-4068
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 11
Issue 8
Pages 1190-1198
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgo.2020.07.008
Keywords Oncology; Geriatrics and Gerontology
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4792917
Publisher URL https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879406820303660

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