Feasibility of Frailty Assessment and Implementation of Interventions in Women Over 70 With Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is frequently diagnosed in older women, with over half of all new diagnoses being in women over 65 years. Current treatment options are based on the results of clinical trials that often do not include older, less fit patients in whom treatments may be less well tolerated. Further, in older patients the impact of complex medical and social issues is not known. The UK lags behind Europe and the United States in the development of research programs dedicated to improving outcomes for older patients. More research focus is urgently required to improve the assessment and management of older women with ovarian cancer to improve survival outcomes, quality of life and functional independence. Current treatment decisions are made predominantly on age and fitness. However, it has been shown that undertaking a holistic, geriatric assessment of older patients can highlight important issues that would not necessarily be identified in a routine oncology appointment. In this study, we propose to ask oncology teams to undertake a geriatric assessment and specifically address issues that may arise as a result of this. The assessment comprises 8 simple non-invasive assessments that can be performed in the out-patient setting. This approach could result in an important change in clinical practice leading to more holistic assessment of older cancer patients and better address their specific needs and manage their cancer treatment. The long-term goal is to show that pro-actively managing potential issues at the beginning of treatment allows patients to tolerate treatment and maintain their functional independence, leading to improved quality of life.

Sex

Female

Minimum age

70 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age at time of consideration for systemic chemotherapy of 70 years and above
* Histological or cytological confirmation of epithelial ovarian cancer
* Planning to commence systemic chemotherapy for either newly diagnosed epithelial ovarian cancer or first disease relapse
* Life expectancy greater than 3 months
* Able to give informed consent, complete questionnaires in english and comply with study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

* In the opinion of the investigator, patient is not fit for systemic chemotherapy or patient declines systemic chemotherapy
* Patient does not have the capacity to consent for enrollment into the study or capacity to consent for systemic chemotherapy