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Review
. 2021 Mar 1;15(1):3-10.
doi: 10.1097/SPC.0000000000000539.

Predicting treatment toxicity in older adults with cancer

Ines B Menjak  1 , Danilo Giffoni de Mello Morais Mata  2 , Tyler R Chesney  3   4 , Kristen R Haase  5
Affiliations
Review

Predicting treatment toxicity in older adults with cancer

Ines B Menjak et al. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: To provide an overview of the recent advancements in predicting toxicity associated with cancer treatment in older patients.

Recent findings: Various screening tools and validated risk calculators have been shown to help predict toxicity from surgery and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy has been more challenging to select the appropriate tool to reliably predict patients at risk for toxicity and noncompliance. Ongoing work on electronic geriatric assessment tools is showing promise in making comprehensive assessment more feasible.

Summary: Selecting appropriate cancer therapy is particularly important in older patients, and validated tools have been developed to guide clinicians for surgery and chemotherapy; however, radiotherapy toxicity remains an area for further development, as does the uptake of existing tools into routine oncology practice.

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