A telehealth-based care program may improve daily functioning, mood, disease understanding, and quality of life among older adults with cancer, according to a recent study published by Bergerot et al in JNCCN–Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Study Methods and Results
Researchers employed the Geriatric Assessment–Guided Intervention–Supportive Care (GAIN-S) telehealth program in a group of 77 patients aged 65 years and older who underwent treatment for a metastatic solid tumor between June 2022 and July 2023 in Brazil. Although the care providers involved in the study were primarily located in high-population urban areas, most of the patients resided in remote or underserved parts of the country.
“Instead of requiring older patients to travel long distances for tailored and specialized care, we brought the expertise to them—ensuring equity in access regardless of geography,” detailed senior study author William Dale, MD, PhD, of the City of Hope National Medical Center.
The researchers used WhatsApp to schedule the appointments and obtain informed consent for the GAIN-S group, which enabled them to automatically encrypt the messages and provide patients with the option to make them disappear after 24 hours for added security.
After a follow-up of 3 months, the researchers discovered that the patients who participated in the GAIN-S telehealth program demonstrated notable improvements in all measured areas.
Conclusions
“It was a win-win for patients, families, and providers, bringing this growing standard of care to many more [patients] using the available resources in an efficient way,” highlighted Dr. Dale.
“This is especially important in countries with substantial geographic and resource gaps like Brazil and remote areas in any country,” emphasized lead study author Cristiane Decat Bergerot, PhD, of Oncoclinicas & Co at Medica Scientia Innovation Research in São Paulo. “By bringing supportive care approaches to patients at the beginning of their cancer care journey, we can significantly improve the experience, communication, and outcomes of patients’ lives,” she continued.
“Social media can be used for anything, including now Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Management (CGAM),” underscored Martine Extermann, MD, PhD, of the Moffitt Cancer Center, who was not involved in the study. “Randomized clinical trials have established CGAM as the standard of care approach for optimal outcomes in older patients with cancer and are recommended in the NCCN Guidelines and others. [However], CGAM has long been considered a niche activity limited to large academic cancer centers. An increasing number of studies show it can be implemented in a broader practice setting, and now in low- and middle-Income countries as well,” she concluded.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit jnccn.org.
