Geriatric Oncohematogyny is a highly specialized medical discipline that focuses on the comprehensive and personalized care of the elderly patient (usually 70 years of age or older) with cancer (solid tumors or malignant hematological diseases). It represents a critical healthcare pillar within the modern hospital, designed to address the growing demographic and clinical challenge posed by population ageing.
Its primary mission is to go beyond standard cancer diagnosis and treatment, taking into account heterogeneity and unique needs. Ageing brings physiological changes and a higher prevalence of comorbidities (other chronic diseases), frailty, polypharmacy and geriatric syndromes (such as cognitive impairment or the risk of falls). These factors directly influence tolerance to cancer treatments, risk of toxicity, quality of life and survival.
The unit's distinctive tool is the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (VGI). The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes this approach as a multidimensional diagnostic process, designed to determine the medical, functional and psychosocial capacities of an older person to develop a coordinated and individualized care plan. In the oncology context, VGI not only detects cancer, but also:

  • To assess the patient's functional, nutritional, cognitive, and psychosocial status.
  • Identify frailty and risk of complications.
  • To help the rest of the multidisciplinary team in decision-making in finding the best cancer treatment strategy (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, etc.) adjusted to the "biological age" and not only to the "chronological age" of the patient.
  • Identify geriatric syndromes (risk of falls, depression, social isolation).

A primary objective of the Geriatric Oncohematogyny Unit is to maximize the patient's quality of life and optimize treatment results, avoiding or minimizing toxicity and functional impairment. It seeks to provide the following benefits:

- Personalized treatment based on the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment to help guide therapeutic decision-making.
- Decrease in serious side effects, hospitalizations, toxicities in vulnerable patients.
- Proactive approach to geriatric syndromes.
- Management of multiple comorbidities and polypharmacy in collaboration with other specialists.
- Facilitate shared decision-making.

Unit Features

The Geriatric Oncohematogyny Unit operates in a coordinated manner within the hospital to offer continuous care:

  • Specialized Outpatient Consultations: For the initial assessment (VGI), follow-up of treatments and complications.
  • Interconsultation Service: The team offers its expertise to other hospital services (Oncology, Surgery, Haematology) to evaluate and advise on the management of their elderly patients.

It is a national reference unit and actively participates in the training of national and international rotators to extend oncohematogeriatric knowledge.