Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is New Zealand's second most common cancer, affecting predominantly older adults. Seven out of ten patients diagnosed with CRC have at least one other co-existing condition (comorbidity). Evidence suggests patients with comorbidity may have potentially curative treatment unnecessarily modified, with a detrimental impact on their survival. Furthermore their complex health needs often leads to fragmented care. Some small international studies have shown that older patients who undergo Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (which includes proactive management of comorbidity, evaluation of mental health and functional status) are more likely to complete treatment and have fewer side-effects from chemotherapy. This study is trialling an intervention aimed at coordinating care and managing comorbidity in patients newly diagnosed with CRC.
This feasibility study piloted the utility of the proposed screening tool combined with broad comprehensive medical assessment (CMA) in three centres (Palmerston North, Invercargill and Dunedin) with the aim of improving care coordination, treatment uptake and reducing cancer treatment toxicity.
Publication
Signal V, Jackson C, Signal L, Hardie C, Holst K, McLaughlin M, et al. Improving management of comorbidity in patients with colorectal cancer using comprehensive medical assessment: A pilot study. BMC Cancer. 2020;20(1).