Background: A novel Oncology-Acute Care for Elders (OACE) unit that uses an interdisciplinary team to enhance recognition and management of geriatric syndromes in hospitalized older adult cancer patients has been established at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis, Missouri). The OACE team includes a clinical pharmacist whose primary role is to improve the appropriateness of prescribing. Objective: Using polypharmacy as the prototypical geriatric syndrome addressed by the OACE team, the objective of this study was to document the processes of communication of an interdisciplinary team and the impact on polypharmacy when the treating physician did not participate in the daily interdisciplinary team rounds. Methods: This was a prospective, observational study of older cancer patients admitted to the OACE unit. We tracked processes and outcomes of interdisciplinary communication regarding medications by prospectively recording OACE team recommendations and evaluating the frequency of implementation of these recommendations through a chart review. Treating physicians, who did not attend team rounds, received these recommendations on a communication form placed in the patient's chart. Results: Forty–seven patients were included in the study. The mean (SD) age was 73.5 (7.5) years. Twenty–one percent (10/47) of patients were prescribed ≥1 Beers medication as part of their home-care regimen before admission to the OACE unit. The OACE team made 51 medication recommendations, and 42 of those recommendations (82%) were implemented. Twenty–five patients (53%) had an alteration in their medication regimen; 13 (28%) had a potentially inappropriate medication discontinued. A medication error was corrected in ~1 of every 8 patients (6/47 [13%]). Conclusions: We found that polypharmacy was common in older cancer patients and increased during hospitali-zation. We also found that most OACE team recommendations communicated to physicians were implemented even though the primary physicians were not members of the OACE team. Future randomized trials are needed to assess the impact of the OACE team model of care on adverse events, survival, and cost in hospitalized older adult cancer patients.

Polypharmacy in hospitalized older adult cancer patients: experience from a prospective, observational study of an oncology-acute care for elders unit.

We outline here the essential elements of training for health care professionals who work with adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer. Research is emerging that a number of cancers manifest themselves differently in the AYA population, both in terms of biology and treatment response. In addition, there are a number of issues uniquely experienced by the AYA population that are critical for health care professionals working within AYA oncology (AYAO) to understand. The LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance, a Lance Armstrong Foundation program and a result of the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Progress Review Group cosponsored by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the National Cancer Institute, assembled a group of experts representing relevant medical, psychosocial, and advocacy disciplines to create a blueprint for the training and development of health care professionals caring for AYA patients with cancer. The Alliance recommends that all health care professionals working in AYAO receive training that provides expertise in the following three critical areas: AYA-specific medical knowledge; care delivery specific to AYAs relative to pediatric and older adult populations; and competency in application and delivery of AYA-specific practical knowledge. These three areas should form the foundation for curricula and programs designed to train health care professionals caring for AYAO patients.

Adolescent and young adult oncology training for health professionals: a position statement.

Educational initiatives in geriatric oncology – Who, why, and how?

There are approximately 17 million cancer survivors living in the United States and by 2040 this estimate is predicted to increase to 26.1 million.1 Exercise provides a myriad of health benefits to individuals during and after cancer treatment by reducing treatment-related symptoms, improving functional status and quality of life, and lowering risk of disease recurrence.2,3 Despite the established benefits, an individual’s level of physical activity often decreases during treatment and does not return to pre-diagnosis levels after treatment completion.4,5 While exercise is regarded as safe and beneficial for individuals with cancer, promoting exercise for this population is complex. A patient-centered pathway is needed that can guide oncology and primary care professionals in efficient assessment of an individual’s condition and enable personalized referrals for exercise interventions that promote physical activity. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a framework for clinical decision making that enables personalized condition assessment, risk stratification, and referral to optimal settings for exercise promotion for cancer survivors. Implementation strategies are also offered to support the integration of this model into an oncology clinical workflow.

With guidance from their medical provider, individuals are more likely to engage in exercise and maintain levels of physical activity during cancer treatments.6 However, the number of individuals with cancer who report receiving exercise-specific guidance from their health care providers is low.7 Of particular concern is the lack of knowledge and training among health care professionals about exercise prescription for this complex population.8

https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cncr.32860

An exercise oncology clinical pathway: Screening and referral for personalized interventions

The adolescence of young adult oncology.

Efforts to integrate geriatric oncology principles in the training of all medical oncologists are underway.

/pdf/geriatric-oncology-past-present-future-31unfxoh91.pdf

Arati V. Rao

Papers

Geriatric Oncology: Past, Present, Future