Early Telephone-Based Frailty Screening With the Vulnerable Elders Survey in Adults Aged 75 Years and Older With Lung and Gynecological Cancer

Background The International Society of Geriatric Oncology recommends that all older people with cancer have a geriatric evaluation before beginning treatment. Objective To determine the prevalence of frailty in people 75 years and older diagnosed with lung or gynecological cancer and evaluate the adaptation of standard therapeutic strategies based on frailty, following the implementation of telephone-based frailty screening with the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13). Interventions/Methods We performed a retrospective observational study in 362 people screened by an advanced practice nurse before their first oncology appointment. We collected secondary data from electronic medical records. The main variables were degree of frailty (according to VES-13 and comprehensive geriatric assessment), type of cancer treatment (standard and prescribed), treatment completion, sociodemographic characteristics, and comorbidities. Results The VES-13 detected 186 people (51.4%) at risk of health deterioration, and the comprehensive geriatric assessment confirmed some degree of frailty in 157 people (43.4%), with a κ coefficient of 0.84. People with more comorbidities, greater frailty, and more geriatric syndromes were more likely to need treatment readjustment ( P < .001). Conclusions Telephone-based frailty screening by an advanced practice nurse showed high applicability, with very good agreement between the proportion of people classified as frail before the initial visit and in the subsequent geriatric assessment. Implications for Practice A protocol for establishing frailty risk through telephone screening by an advanced practice nurse facilitates the care process and helps clinicians adapt therapeutic decision-making to the needs of each patient and their family.