Use of Palliative Performance and Symptom Distress Scales in Older Patients With Advanced Ovarian Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

To evaluate the changes in performance status and symptom distress in older patients with presumed or advanced ovarian cancer undergoing surgery and/or chemotherapy.

Secondary

To explore the association between these changes with chemotherapy drug change, dose reduction, or dose delay due to toxicity in these patients.
To explore the association between these changes with the development of surgical complications in these patients.
To observe the response in the Geriatric Assessment (GA) and report the individual item scores.

OUTLINE: Patients complete the Palliative Performance Scale and the McCorkle Symptom Distress Scale questionnaires at baseline, at 10-20 days after surgery*, at 14-21 days after courses 3 and 6 of chemotherapy ( if applicable), and at approximately 2-3 months at the patient's first follow-up visit. The research team completes the Professional Geriatric Assessments. Patients' medical records are also reviewed for any surgical complications, chemotherapy toxicities, dose reductions or delays, or change in medications secondary to chemotherapy toxicities.

NOTE: *Patients who complete the assessments and questionnaires at baseline but who are found not to have ovarian cancer during surgery will remain eligible for assessment of surgical complications.