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[This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00045.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00047.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00048.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00043.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00053.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00060.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00036.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00056.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00042.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2018.04.002.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2018.e00034.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00040.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00046.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2018.01.001.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00052.][This corrects the article DOI 10.1016/j.fawpar.2018.e00031.].Sarcopenia is characterised by progressive and extensive skeletal muscle degeneration and is associated with functional decline. Sarcopenia has primary and secondary aetiology, arising as a result of the ageing process or through chronic cytokine-mediated inflammation (associated with health conditions including cancer), respectively. Diagnosis of sarcopenia is dependent upon detection of reduced skeletal muscle strength, mass and performance. A combination of non-radiological and radiological methods can be used to assess each of these in turn to accurately diagnose sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is known to adversely affect outcomes of patients with various forms of cancer. Early identification of sarcopenia is imperative in improving patient care and overall prognosis. Various interventions, such as resistance exercise, nutritional support, and amino acid and vitamin supplementation have shown promise in the management of sarcopenia. However, further insight into novel interventions and indeed, assessment of the benefits of management of sarcopenia in terms of survival, are required to better support cancer patients.Cancer is predominantly a disease of the elderly and as population life expectancy increases, so will the incidence of malignant disease. Elderly patients often have other comorbidities and social complexities, increasing the support required to safely deliver all treatment modalities. Brachytherapy is a relatively simple technique by which radiation therapy can be delivered. It offers dosimetric advantages through a highly conformal dose distribution thereby limiting radiation exposure to normal tissues reducing toxicity. Requiring fewer hospital visits, it also offers practical and logistical advantages to the elderly population and in many cases can be performed without the need for general anaesthesia. In tumour streams where brachytherapy forms part of the curative management, it should not be omitted in elderly patients who are medically fit for treatment. In the palliative setting, brachytherapy often offers an excellent means for achieving either local tumour and/or symptom control and should be actively considered in the therapeutic armamentarium of the oncologist in this context.Older adults make up a substantial proportion of patients diagnosed with cancer. Gaps in evidence of care for older adults with cancer leads to treatment heterogeneity and poor outcomes. Medical and Surgical Oncology clinics throughout the world are increasingly using Geriatric Assessment (GA) based approaches to treatment that are beginning to improve care through treatment decision-making communication, health-related quality of life outcomes, and reducing chemotherapy toxicities. Yet, GA based approaches are not often used in radiation oncology clinics. This manuscript aims to describe the ongoing development of an electronic patient-reported GA with real-time data interpretation and recommendation delivery to help increase the use of a personalized GA based approach to the care of older adults within radiation oncology clinics. Future studies demonstrating the utility and benefit of GA based approaches to help older adults undergoing radiotherapy for their cancers are still sorely needed.

Large non-age-specific radiotherapy utilisation rate (RTU) studies have demonstrated that actual RTU is below the optimal recommended utilisation rate for both curative and palliative intent radiotherapy indications. find more The optimal utilisation rate for the geriatric oncology cohort of patients has not yet been determined. The purpose of this research was to examine the actual RTU for patients treated in New South Wales (NSW), Australia as a function of increasing age, and the relationship between RTU and tumour site, travelling distance and socio-economic status.

NSW Central Cancer Registry data (2009-2011) were linked to the NSW Radiotherapy Dataset (2009-2012). RTU was calculated for patients aged <80 years and ≥80 years. RTU was defined as the proportion of patients receiving at least a single course of radiotherapy within 12 months of a cancer diagnosis.

110,645 patients were diagnosed with cancer, of whom 27,721 received at least one course of radiotherapy. The overall RTU was 25%. RTU for patients aged <80 years was 28% compared to 14% for patients aged 80+ years (p < 0.001). On both univariate and multivariate analysis, increasing age, residential address in disadvantaged socioeconomic areas and increasing distance to the nearest radiotherapy department were associated with a reduction in RTU.

Geriatric oncology patients are less likely to receive radiotherapy than their younger counterparts. Some of the reduction in RTU may be justifiable on the basis of limited life expectancy and co-morbidity. Further research is required to determine the co-morbidity adjusted optimal RTU in older patients.

Geriatric oncology patients are less likely to receive radiotherapy than their younger counterparts. Some of the reduction in RTU may be justifiable on the basis of limited life expectancy and co-morbidity. Further research is required to determine the co-morbidity adjusted optimal RTU in older patients.