MedPath

Assessing Older Patients With Cancer

Completed
Conditions
Unspecified Adult Solid Tumor, Protocol Specific
Interventions
Behavioral: quality of life questionnaires
Registration Number
NCT00416481
Lead Sponsor
Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
Brief Summary

RATIONALE: Questionnaires that measure the ability of older patients to think, learn, remember, and make judgments and carry out daily activities may improve the ability to plan treatment for patients with cancer.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying ways to assess older patients with cancer.

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

* Determine the feasibility of administration of the geriatric assessment in elderly patients with cancer.

* Determine the percentage of patients able to complete the self-administered portion of the geriatric assessment without assistance.

* Determine the length of time necessary to complete the geriatric assessment.

* Determine the variance and number of missing items.

* Assess patient satisfaction with the questionnaire by identifying items that are distressing or difficult to comprehend.

* Assess the percentage of geriatric assessments that contain all three of the following items: Timed Up and Go Assessment, Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test, and healthcare professional-rated Karnofsky performance status.

Secondary

* Determine the proportion of patients who are able to complete the self-report portion of the questionnaire without assistance and the length of time needed to complete the geriatric assessment within patients of various sociodemographic factors and educational status.

OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to age (65 to 69 years vs 70 years and over).

Patients undergo assessments of cognition using the Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test; functional status using the Timed Up and Go Assessment (measures physical mobility); and performance status using the healthcare professional-rated Karnofsky performance scale. These assessments are performed by healthcare personnel. Body mass index and the percentage of unintentional weight loss and the number of falls in the past 6 months are also assessed.

Patients also complete the following self-administered questionnaires: Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (measures level of functioning and need for services); Activities of Daily Living (measures higher levels of physical functioning); Karnofsky Self-Reported Performance Rating Scale (related to survival and clinically significant illness); Physical Health Section of the Older American Resources and Services Questionnaire (measures comorbidity and the impact on daily activities); Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Activity Limitations Measure (measures the impact of cancer on patients' social functioning); and MOS Social Support Survey Emotional/Information and Tangible Subscales (measures perceived availability of social support).

Patients then begin planned treatment.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
93
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Patient assessmentquality of life questionnairesPatients undergo assessments of cognition and performance status using the healthcare professional-rated Karnofsky performance scale. These assessments are performed by healthcare personnel. Body mass index and the percentage of unintentional weight loss and the number of falls in the past 6 months are also assessed. Patients also complete self-administered questionnaires that measure level of functioning and need for services. It also includes questionnaires that measure higher levels of physical functioning, performance related to survival and clinically significant illness and measures of comorbidity and the impact on daily activities. Lastly, questionnaires are administered to measure the impact of cancer on patients' social functioning and perceived availability of social support. Patients then begin planned treatment.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Mean and median time to complete the entire geriatric assessmentUp to 3 years
Mean number of missing items in each subscale and the distribution of missing itemsUp to 3 years
Percentage of patients who identify a scale to be upsetting or difficult to understandUp to 3 years
Percentage of Geriatric Assessments for which all three items (Timed Up and Go Assessment, Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test, and the healthcare professional-rated Karnofsky performance status) are completedUp to 3 years
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (13)

Elkhart General Hospital

🇺🇸

Elkhart, Indiana, United States

Memorial Hospital of South Bend

🇺🇸

South Bend, Indiana, United States

Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center

🇺🇸

South Bend, Indiana, United States

CCOP - Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central New York

🇺🇸

East Syracuse, New York, United States

Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

🇺🇸

Columbus, Ohio, United States

Howard Community Hospital

🇺🇸

Kokomo, Indiana, United States

CCOP - Northern Indiana CR Consortium

🇺🇸

South Bend, Indiana, United States

Center for Cancer Therapy at LaPorte Hospital and Health Services

🇺🇸

La Porte, Indiana, United States

Lakeland Regional Cancer Care Center - St. Joseph

🇺🇸

St. Joseph, Michigan, United States

Michiana Hematology-Oncology, PC - South Bend

🇺🇸

South Bend, Indiana, United States

CCOP - Nevada Cancer Research Foundation

🇺🇸

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

University Medical Center of Southern Nevada

🇺🇸

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

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