Frailty assessment in the elderly with Upper GI cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of frailty in elderly subjects with advanced oesophagogastric cancers
IRAS ID
132790
Contact name
Alastair Greystroke
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Joint Research Office
Research summary
The incidence of oesophagogastic cancer rises with age peaking in the 7th decade. Randomised clinical trials have shown that for patients with advanced disease palliative chemotherapy can improve symptom control and overall survival. The standard chemotherapy in the UK for this disease consists of 3 chemotherapy agents - Epirubicin, Oxaliplatin and Capectiabine. The average age of patients included in the clinical trial establishing this as a standard of care was 61-65 years. In the more elderly population that we see in clinic we often have concerns about tolerability of the potentially life threatening side effects associated with this chemotherapy. Do patients over the age of 70 get the same benefit/toxicity from chemotherapy?
Oncologists recognise that there are some more elderly patients who are seemingly fit for treatment but for whom toxicity results in a significant deterioration in functional ability and quality of life which in some situations is not regained. These patients are probably frail. We currently make subjective decisions about frailty, sometimes modifying standard treatment regimens or making a decision not to treat.
We want to assess the feasibility of a multifactorial assessment of elderly patients prior to, during and after planned treatment for their advanced oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma, with the aim of evaluating whether we can find objective ways of identifying patients who are likely to get benefit from treatment.
We are inviting patients aged 70 years and over for whom a management plan has already been decided, to participate in the study and have a mutlifactorial assessment of their fitness. It will involve meeting with a member of the research team to have an assessment of frailty, nutritional status and comorbidities before, during and after the planned treatment. In addition patients will be asked to complete quality of life questionnaires.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NE/0265
Date of REC Opinion
1 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion