Dr. med. Ulrich Wedding
Duration: 1 January 2006 – 31 December 2006
Center: Marienhospital Herne
Research project
Geriatric Oncology
Three questions pertaining to geriatric oncology will be examined as part of the “Forschungskolleg Geriatrie” (Geriatric Research Network) of Robert Bosch Stiftung.
1. Older patients treated with chemotherapy show a higher rate of dose modification and premature discontinuation of therapy than younger patients. Patients whose daily life activities are restricted due to illness die more frequently within 60 days after commencement of therapy than those without such limitations. It is not yet clear, however, whether an assessment of the evolution of daily life activities and other geriatric assessment parameters may permit additional evaluations. This question is the subject matter of the project.
2. The only research in which a geriatric assessment of older patients with cancer has been carried out to date has been in the form of small-scale studies with limited numbers of patients.
This project will involve a combined analysis of these data in cooperation with the
“Cancer in the Elderly” task force of the E-ORTC (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer) under the patronage of the SIOG (International Society for Geriatric Oncology) with a view to determining the value of geriatric assessment in particular cases.
3. In a prospective study supported by the German cancer association “Deutsche Krebshilfe”, 544 patients were recruited at Jena University Hospital. An additional survival analysis with a follow-up observation period that will be one year longer than has been possible to date will be performed.
All subprojects represent important building blocks in the effort to improve the therapy of the growing population of elderly cancer patients.