Introduction: Geriatric oncology is the clinical field of cancer treatment in older adults (above 65 years) and in the oldest-old (above 80 years). As age is the most significant risk factor for cancer, and with the aging of the population, there is a vast increase in the number of older cancer patients.
Background: The cases highlight the unique challenges in geriatric oncology: disease goals may differ; treatment toxicities are higher; the extensive use of prescription medication increases the chances of harmful drug-drug interactions; finally, older adults have unique psychosocial needs. Cancer treatment in older adults poses a risk of under-treatment as well as a risk for over-treatment.
Discussion: 'Onco-geriatrics' is a field in geriatrics in which a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is performed. The CGA focuses on specific therapeutic challenges of the older patient, on frailty and on toxicity-risk assessment. In geriatric oncology, a field in oncology aimed at providing care to older cancer adults, the most important first step is to define treatment intent - cure or palliation. Achievement of cure usually mandates a multi-disciplinary aggressive approach. Compromising any component of the treatment may hamper its success rate, yet administering the full therapeutic plan may be too toxic. Thus, each older patient being considered for definitive treatment must be discussed in a multi-disciplinary tumor board, and preferably assessed by a dedicated geriatrician prior to decision-making. In cases in which treatment intent is palliative - i.e. prolongation of survival and/or improvement in quality of life, we propose the following scheme - accurate definition of the palliative goal; adaptation of the therapeutic regime to the patient's geriatric condition; frequent clinical monitoring and flexibility in administration; continued treatment as long as palliative benefit is achieved, and early cessation in its absence. Such a scheme maintains the principal of 'primum non nocere' while facilitating the palliative benefit for older adults.