Developing a National Study That Integrates the Geriatric Assessment into the Care of Older Patients with Myeloid Malignancies

Purpose of Review

To highlight the priorities in geriatric assessment research in myeloid malignancies and discuss design considerations necessary to ensure research is patient-centric, generalizeable, and high quality.

Recent Findings

Older adults with myeloid malignancies including those who are perceived to have excellent performance status have multiple functional impairments. These impairments are associated with early mortality. Older adults have different functional trajectories through the course of treatment; this will be further investigated in our ongoing multicenter study. In a single-center study, we have demonstrated the use of geriatric assessment to guide treatment is feasible.

Summary

Key priorities include designing a multicenter validation study to confirm the role of geriatric assessment in determining treatment tolerance and survival. Such a study should include core geriatric assessment measures and should enroll diverse patient population across various practices. Conducting such a study is necessary to advance patient care and trial design, and to open venues to conduct studies to confirm the role of geriatric assessment in treatment selection.