Improving Outcomes for Older women with Gynaecological Malignancies

TY - JOUR

T1 - Improving Outcomes for Older women with Gynaecological Malignancies

AU - Dumas, Lucy

AU - Ring, Alistair

AU - Butler, John

AU - Kalsi, Tania

AU - Harari, Danielle

AU - Banerjee, Susana

PY - 2016/8/29

Y1 - 2016/8/29

N2 - The incidence of most gynaecological malignancies rises significantly with increasing age. With an ageing population, the proportion of women over the age of 65 with cancer is expected to rise substantially over the next decade. Unfortunately, survival outcomes are much poorer in older patients and evidence suggests that older women with gynaecological cancers are less likely to receive current standard of care treatment options. Despite this, older women are under-represented in practice changing clinical studies. The evidence for efficacy and tolerability is therefore extrapolated from a younger; often more fit population and applied to in every day clinical practice to older patients with co-morbidities. There has been significant progress in the development of geriatric assessment in oncology to predict treatment outcomes and tolerability however there is still no clear evidence that undertaking a geriatric assessment improves patient outcomes. Clinical trials focusing on treating older patients are urgently required. In this review, we discuss the evidence for treatment of gynaecological cancers as well as methods of assessing older patients for therapy. Potential biomarkers of ageing are also summarised.

AB - The incidence of most gynaecological malignancies rises significantly with increasing age. With an ageing population, the proportion of women over the age of 65 with cancer is expected to rise substantially over the next decade. Unfortunately, survival outcomes are much poorer in older patients and evidence suggests that older women with gynaecological cancers are less likely to receive current standard of care treatment options. Despite this, older women are under-represented in practice changing clinical studies. The evidence for efficacy and tolerability is therefore extrapolated from a younger; often more fit population and applied to in every day clinical practice to older patients with co-morbidities. There has been significant progress in the development of geriatric assessment in oncology to predict treatment outcomes and tolerability however there is still no clear evidence that undertaking a geriatric assessment improves patient outcomes. Clinical trials focusing on treating older patients are urgently required. In this review, we discuss the evidence for treatment of gynaecological cancers as well as methods of assessing older patients for therapy. Potential biomarkers of ageing are also summarised.

KW - Older

KW - Elderly

KW - Ovarian

KW - Endometrial

KW - Cervix

KW - Outcomes

KW - Therapy

U2 - 10.1016/j.ctrv.2016.08.007

DO - 10.1016/j.ctrv.2016.08.007

M3 - Article

SN - 0305-7372

JO - Cancer Treatment Reviews

JF - Cancer Treatment Reviews

ER -