Why oncogeriatrics? : Report of SIOG 2021 conference

Contributor: Santiago Cotobal Rodeles

Origin/Afiliation:Santiago Cotobal Rodeles ECG Severo Ochoa University Hospital, Leganes, Madrid, Spain

As a reporter of the ECGI, I assisted the international Society of Oncogeriatics conference that took place between the 4th and 5tht of November.

For me, as early career geriatrician was one of the first deep approaches to it from an academic point of view. It was a really good balance conference with MDT conferences of different kinds of tumors divided by anatomy. In each one a surgeon, an onco-radiotherapist, a surgeon, a nurse, and a geriatrician gave their perspective, and talk about news in treatment, also there were other ones more generals that discussed the updates on prehabilitation and rehabilitation that gave me another point of view that I think it is really interesting and since the conference I started to change some actions to another more appropriate way.

The most interesting lecture for me was rapid-fire updates in medical hematology, oncology, radiation, surgery, and geriatrics.

From surgery, the most interesting part was for prehabilitation talking about the PROADAPT pilot study, and for delirium talking about the combining epidural and general anesthesia during the operation preventing postoperative delirium. The combined use of both treatments prevents postoperative delirium but at the same time increases the hypotension so when we use it we must have this adverse effect in mind and the recommendations of not to do screening of colorectal cancer in adults 75 years old or older are not justified just thinking on age.

From radiotherapy, it was interesting to learn how just with 5 sessions of SBRT you can cure prostate cancer with minimal side effects and how preoperative SCRT ( 5x5 Gy) and chemotherapy is a superior treatment.

For oncology they insist in the importance of not to stop screening of colorectalcancer just having on mind the age and the use of reduced intensity CAPOX.

For hematology the most recommended treatment of older adults with AML according to frailty level, and a really interesting project of the fondazioni italiana linfomi about Simplified Geriatric Assessment in elder patients with large B cell linfoma.

For geriatrics I really enjoy listening about The GERICO study a randomized Phase 3 trial including patients ≥70 years receiving adjuvant or first-line palliative chemotherapy for CRC and how the results were that the geriatric intervention was responsible on completing adjuvant chemotherapy, and may had improve the burden of illness and mobility.

I really recommend this conference to every ECG even if oncogeriatrics is not one of your interest areas because it is a really good conference based in the medicine based on evidence and where you can see good the multidisciplinary group working together for the best for the old patient.