Development and Verification of a Screening Tool for Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment of Elderly Tumor Patients

Summary

This study is an observational research.

1. The study first conducted an electronic questionnaire survey among clinicians working in general and specialized hospitals at various levels nationwide to understand the implementation status and influencing factors of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for elderly cancer patients in China.
2. Based on the survey results, an interview outline was developed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with professional doctors experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of elderly cancer patients to further explore the comprehensive factors influencing the implementation of CGA for this population.
3. According to the feedback from the semi-structured interviews, the survey results, and literature reports, the assessment dimensions required for the CGA screening tool were selected. An expert consultation survey questionnaire was designed around these dimensions, and the most suitable assessment items under each dimension were determined using the Delphi expert consultation method.
4. The G8 scale was used to assess elderly cancer patients. Items were selected based on their performance to form the screening tool. By setting thresholds and allocating weights for each item, CGA Screening Tool 1.0 was developed.
5. Pre-testing and modification of the screening tool were conducted. Investigators used the initially formed screening tool to conduct one-on-one patient testing. Feedback on the tool's clarity, relevance, clinical applicability (localization), and feasibility was obtained through consultation with a clinical expert panel to improve and refine its content and management process. This led to the revision and formation of CGA Screening Tool 2.0.
6. The reliability and validity of the CGA screening tool were verified using classical measurement theory to ensure the stability, reliability, and effectiveness of the scale tool in practical applications.
7. Patients were assessed using both CGA and the screening tool. External validation of Screening Tool 2.0 was performed using CGA as the gold standard to further evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the screening tool.
8. Patients who participated in the assessment during the study were followed up to compare the correlation between different assessment results and patient completion of anti-tumor treatment, treatment efficacy, and the risk of related adverse reactions. The impact of the CGA screening tool on the implementation of CGA and its predictive ability for anti-tumor treatment were explored. Study data were obtained from the electronic medical record database and hospital information system of Sichuan Cancer Hospital, including clinicopathological features such as gender, age, clinical stage at diagnosis, and information related to anti-tumor treatment.

Conditions

• Geriatric Assessment
• Geriatric Patients
• Patients With Cancer
• Assessment Tool

Interventions

OTHER

Screening of comprehensive geriatic assessment.

The participants are screened before anti-tumor therapy with a comprehensive assessment screening tool developed for elderly cancer patients, which is more suitable for individualized decision-making in anti-tumor treatment.

OTHER

the G8 assessment

The G8 is a rapid geriatric screening test that takes only a few minutes to complete. It is used as a calibration standard to validate the novel screening tool in this study.

OTHER

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA)

The participants screened as a high frailty risk will undergo CGA to determine the most appropriate treatment plan.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Research Institute

  lead OTHER

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-02-05

Primary Completion

2026-12-15

Completion

2026-12-31

Countries

• China

Study Locations