Active Task Forces

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) in older patients The SIOG NMSC Task Force aims to review all available data non-melanoma skin cancers in older patients and an expert position will be formulated. Chair: Agata Rembielak, UK Members: Baran Akagündüz, Turkey Sandrine Aspeslagh, Belgium Giuseppe Colloca, Italy Aoife Conway, Australia Falalu Danwata, UK Veronique del Marmol, Belgium Daniel Livesey, UK Charles (Chuck) O’Shea, US Rado Žic, Croatia

Corticosteroids And Cancer Treatments In Older Patients Historically, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is regarded as being among the most pertinent and debilitating side effects of cancer chemotherapy and consequently several societies developed guidelines for the use of antiemetic drugs in order to minimized the risk for CINV (Gralla RJ et al. J Clin Oncol 1999;17:2971-2994; Hesketh PJ et al. J Clin Oncol 2015;34:381-386; Roila F et al. Ann Oncol 2016;27 (Supplement 5):v119-v133; Hesketh PJ et al. J Clin Oncol 2017;35:3240-3261; https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/antiemesis.pdf). According to their respective emetogenic potentials without prophylaxis, cytotoxics are usually classified as having a minimal, low, moderate or high emetogenic potential; a step-wise prophylactic approach is tailored according to their respective emetogenic potential. Chair: Rupert Bartsch, Austria Members: Matti Aapro, Switzerland Daniel Aletaha, Austria Bernadette Aretin, Austria Luigi Celio, Italy Chantal Csajka, Switzerland Thorsten Füreder, Austria Francois R Jornayvaz, Switzerland Pierre-Olivier Lang, [...]

PARP inhibitors Breast and ovarian cancer are common malignancies among older adults, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Although most cases of breast and ovarian cancer are sporadic, a significant proportion is caused by mutations in cancer susceptibility genes, most often breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA) 1 and 2. Furthermore, some breast and ovarian tumors are phenotypically similar to those with BRCA mutations, a phenomenon known as "BRCAness" 2018 PARP inhibitors in older patients with ovarian and breast cancer: Young International Society of Geriatric Oncology review paper. Gabor Liposits, Kah Poh Loh, Enrique Soto-Perez-de-Celis, Lucy Dumas , Nicolò Matteo Luca Battisti, Sindhuja Kadambi, Capucine Baldini, Susana Banerjee, Stuart M Lichtman.. JGO 2019 Mar;10(2):337-345.doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2018.10.008. Adherence to oral cancer therapy Oral anticancer therapies are increasingly prescribed and their use over parenteral therapy is gaining popularity in elderly cancer patients, despite the concerns for non-adherence. This is mainly driven [...]

Perioperative care/assessment A number of elderly cancer patients do not receive standard surgery for solid tumors because they are considered unfit for treatment as a consequence of inaccurate estimation of the operative risk. To tailor treatment to onco-geriatric series, oncologists are now beginning to use a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). This study investigates the value of an extended CGA in assessing the suitability of elderly patients for surgical intervention. Writing Committee S.R. Kristjansson C. Spies B.T.H. Veering J.H. Silverstein A.A.L. Vigano S. Mercadante S. Jack A. Zaniboni M. Schmidt H.L. Watt M.P.W. Grocott M. West R.A. Audisio 2012 Perioperative care of the elderly oncology patient: A report from the SIOG task force on the perioperative care of older patients with cancer. S.R. Kristjansson, C. Spies, B.T.H. Veering, J.H. Silverstein, A.A.L. Vigano, S. Mercadante, S. Jack, A. Zaniboni, M. Schmidt, H.L. Watt, M.P.W. Grocott, M. [...]

Breast Cancer The task force undertook a review of the literature about breast cancer covering the last 18 years in order to issue recommendations for the treatment of elderly breast cancer patients on the topics of screening, surgery, radiotherapy, (neo)adjuvant hormone treatment and chemotherapy, as well as metastatic disease. In 2010, a multidisciplinary SIOG and and European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) task force gathered to expand and update the 2007 recommendations. This update is including geriatric assessment, competing causes of mortality, ductal carcinoma in situ, drug safety and compliance, patient preferences, barriers to treatment, and male breast cancer. Chair: Hans Wildiers, Belgium Members Matti Aapro, Switzerland Riccardo Audisio, UK Harry Bartelink, Netherlands Mary Barton, USA Chantal Bernard-Marty, Belgium Laura Biganzoli, Italy Etienne Brain, France Martine Extermann, USA Jacques Fracheboud, Netherlands Sharon H. Giordano, USA Véronique Girre, France Arti Hurria, USA Ian Kunkler, UK Hyman Muss, USA [...]

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) Oncologists are increasingly confronted with the necessity of integrating geriatric parameters in the treatment of their elderly patients. The taskforce undertook a systematic review of the evidence on the use of a CGA in 2005. In 2012, it was decided to update the recommendations. Since the amount of material to review has increased dramatically since 2005, the task force will consist of 4 task groups: Screening tools; CGA in geriatric oncology; geriatric interventions; and Frailty. The focus of the systematic reviews will be the literature pertaining to oncologic patients only. Each task group will have a SIOG Senior Author who will coordinate the group. Each group will have a writing committee and a reference committee. An update is currently being prepared (2021-2022). 2021-2022 Project Chair: Lore Decoster, Belgium Members: Shabbir Alibhai, Canada Raul Cordoba, Spain William Dale, USA Martine Extermann, USA Marije Hamaker, Netherlands Holly [...]

Bone health in elderly cancer patients Although anti-resorptive therapies are especially important for elderly patients with cancer, they are typically underutilised in this population, which also does not benefit from exercise and adequate calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Older age is associated with increased risk for invasive malignancies, such as breast and prostate cancer, with a higher risk of bone metastasis. Underuse of antiresorptive therapies may be more detrimental in elderly patients compared with younger patients because of multiple fracture risk factors, including physiological decreases in BMD and increases in vertebral fracture rate with increasing age. In addition to preventing SREs in the oncology setting, antiresorptive therapies are indicated for fracture risk reduction in elderly patients with osteoporosis. Although oral bisphosphonates such as risedronate and alendronate have demonstrated efficacy in the postmenopausal osteoporosis setting, their dosing schedule and strict dosing regimen can lead to poor [...]

Current best practice and priorities for research in radiation oncology for elderly patients with cancer The objective of this taskforce is to edict recommendations concernig the use of radiotherapy in elderly patients suffering from cancer in various sites: breast, urology, head and neck, lung upper and lower GI, central nervous system, gynaecology, lymphomas. Use of advanced radiotherapy techniques, fractionation, palliation and brachytherapy will be discussed as appropriate. Chair: Ian Kunkler, UK Members Yazid Belkacemi, France Michael Betz, Switzerland Elizabeth Gore, USA Sarah Hoffe, USA Youlia Kirova, France Peter Koper, Netherlands Jean-Léon Lagrange, France Athina Markouizou, Greece David Morgan, UK Raphael Pfeffer, Israel Jacqueline Pomp, France Salvador Villa, Spain 2014 Review of current best practice and priorities for research in radiation oncology for elderly patients with cancer: the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) task force. Kunkler IH, Audisio R, Belkacemi Y, Betz M, Gore [...]

Addressing the quality of life needs of older patients with cancer Quality of life (QOL) is hard to assess for every patient with or without cancer. Who Status as well as Karnofsky’s scale are usually used to grade health status. It is evidence that those two scales have no impact on accurate assessment. Edmonton Scale (ESAS) is masterpiece of QOL evaluation for many teams around the world. Early global care (developed as early palliative care), proved its interest in better QOL and survival benefits notably in lung cancer. First comment is that oncologists and caregivers, in clinical practice, poorly define QOL status. As well as fatigue is difficult to define, because of its multidimensional cause; QOL needs didactic propositions to be exactly specified. Algorithms clearly conducted and broadcasted may enhance physician’s involvement. Second comment; hurdles of QOL evaluation are notably crucial in elderly population, more [...]