A Geriatric Oncology Collaborative Care Intervention for Older Adults With Advanced Cancer

Participants assigned to receive usual oncology care will not meet with the study nurses, though they may receive geriatric or palliative care consults at their request or at the discretion of their treating oncologist.

Patients receive three visits with a trained study nurse. At each visit, the study nurse will assess the patient's symptom burden, functional status, comorbid conditions, psychosocial issues, and medication use. The nurses can refer patients to specialists as needed. The study nurses will meet with a supervising support team, consisting of clinicians from geriatrics, palliative care, social work, and pharmacy to discuss each patient and review documentation. Following the team meetings, the nurses will document recommendations in the medical record and communicate with the primary oncology team, either in person or via phone, as appropriate. The study nurses will contact the supervising team in between meetings for any urgent issues or questions that arise.