Registry of Older Patients With Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

To create a registry (to be called "Carolina Senior") of older patients with an appointment at North Carolina Cancer Hospital.
To have these patients complete a Geriatric Assessment (GA).

Secondary

To measure the response rates of GAs of Carolina Senior patients and their satisfaction with a GA by measuring the percentage of patients contacted who consent to complete the GA; the percentage of patients able to complete the self-administered portion of the GA without assistance; the length of time necessary to complete the GA; the variance and number of missing items; the percentage of GAs that contain all 3 of the following items: Timed Up and Go Assessment, Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test, and healthcare professional-rated Karnofsky performance status; and patient satisfaction with the questionnaire by identifying items that are distressing or too difficult to comprehend.
To gather information, including patterns of patient care, that would lend support for future research in the 'Carolina Senior' population who receive a confirmed diagnosis of cancer (except for nonmelanoma skin cancer, cervical carcinoma in situ without evidence of disease, or prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia without evidence of prostate cancer).

OUTLINE: Patients complete a geriatric assessment, a multi-dimensional inter-disciplinary patient evaluation that includes an evaluation of a patient's functional status (ability to live independently at home and in the community), co-morbid medical conditions, cognition, psychological status, social functioning and support, medication review, and nutritional status. Patients' medical records are also reviewed. Patients' health status at 1 year is incorporated into the registry.