Summary of Service

Older adults are an extremely heterogeneous group of patients, showing marked differences in physical, mental and social well-being. In the field of geriatrics, a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is performed to evaluate an older person's overall health status. Considering one's global health status based on the CGA, geriatricians take a holistic approach to treating older people with various diseases. Furthermore, a multidisciplinary team convenes to address functional, nutritional, cognitive, psychological and/or social problems identified by the CGA in order to improve the daily life independence and quality of life for older adults.

Geriatric oncology is a field that incorporates the principles of geriatrics into the care of older adults with cancer. This is the first geriatric oncology clinic in Japan and is staffed by a physician who holds American Board of Internal Medicine certifications in the fields of geriatric medicine and medical oncology.

In our clinic, we perform the CGA to help patients and primary oncologists choose the best treatment strategy for each patient. In addition, we provide early intervention for physical, mental and social problems identified by the CGA in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team members, including a nurse, physical therapist, dietitian, psychologist, pharmacist and social worker, so that patients can maintain their independence and a good quality of life while receiving cancer treatment.

Main scope of the service

Main target diseases:

This clinic sees patients who meet the following criteria to perform a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA):

• Patients planning to undergo or currently receiving treatment at Kyushu Cancer Center.
• Patients for whom their primary oncologist considers CGA beneficial for their care.

During the initial visit, all new patients aged ≥75 years at our hospital undergo G8 screening administered by a nurse. Referral for CGA consultation is based on the treating physician's discretion, independent of age or G8 score.

Technique:

We perform the CGA according to the standards proposed by the international guidelines (Wildiers H et al. J Clin Oncol. 2014. Mohile SG et al. J Clin Oncol. 2018. Dale W et al. J Clin Oncol. 2023.). The following domains are included: functional status, cognition, depression, nutrition, polypharmacy, geriatric syndromes, comorbidity and social support.