Are Older Adults Getting the Most Effective Cancer Treatments?

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society assessed the effectiveness of the Preoperative Risk Estimation for Onco-Geriatric Patients (PREOP) score in predicting how older adults fared following surgery for cancer, reports Medical Xpress . The investigators analyzed the findings of an earlier study on 229 adults 70 or older who had surgery for suspected cancerous solid tumors. Participating medical centers collected additional data on survival for up to five years post-surgery. Overall, 84 percent survived one year after surgery, 77 percent survived two years after surgery, and 56 percent survived five years after surgery. Of those who were still alive one year after surgery, 26 percent moved to an assisted-living or nursing community, and by two years 46 percent moved to a care community or had died. Post-surgical survival at one year was worse for persons with a high PREOP risk score, compared with a normal PREOP risk score. However, the risk score could not predict whether subjects were at a higher risk of needing care in a health community or institution. The researchers suggested that the PREOP score can be used to guide older adults' discussion with physicians about the goals and expectations of surgery.