Feasibility and implementation of remote geriatric assessment–guided supportive care (GAIN-S) in public oncology settings.
1582 Background: The ASCO Global Guideline recommends routine geriatric assessment (GA) for adults aged ≥65 years with cancer to identify vulnerabilities beyond standard oncology evaluation and guide tailored management. However, real-world implementation of GA-guided interventions in low-resource settings remains limited. Building on prior feasibility work in private (PRI) oncology settings, we evaluated the feasibility and implementation of a remote, multidisciplinary GA-guided intervention in public (PUB) oncology settings in Brazil. Methods: We conducted a prospective feasibility and implementation study in PUB settings, with contextual reference to prior PRI experience. Patients aged ≥65 years initiating chemotherapy underwent baseline GA assessing functional status, depressive symptoms (GDS), cognitive screening (Mini-Cog), chemotherapy toxicity risk (CARG), nutritional status, and quality of life (FACT-G), with repeat assessment at 12 weeks. Identified impairments prompted referral to telehealth interventions (geriatrics, nutrition, psychology/psychiatry, exercise). Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, GA completion, referral recommendations, and follow-up retention. Implementation barriers in PUB settings were prospectively documented. Results: A total of 109 patients were included (PRI n=61; PUB n=48). The PUB cohort was younger (mean age 72 vs 76), included a higher proportion of Black participants (58% vs 44%), had lower education (no/limited 19% and elementary school 50% vs college degree 47%), and more advanced disease (92% stage III-IV vs 54% stage IV). Baseline geriatric vulnerability was similar (median CARG 6 vs 7, GDS 2); weight loss was more frequent in PUB (54% vs 36%). Quality of life was lower in PUB (FACT-G -5 points). GA identified actionable vulnerabilities, with 21% referred to ≥1 specialist (vs 33% in PRI) and 44% to ≥2 specialists (vs 28% in PRI). Key challenges included delayed recruitment, limited digital literacy (63%), restricted videoconferencing (73%), delays in nutritional supplements (38%), and exercise adaptation (50%), prompting ongoing, context-specific adaptations. Conclusions: Remote GA delivery and identification of actionable vulnerabilities were feasible in PUB settings in Brazil. Similar geriatric vulnerability profiles and characterization of implementation barriers support the scalability of GA-guided care in low-resource settings. Clinical trial information: NCT07084454 .
Authors
- Jose Adolfo Cerveira
- Cristiane Decat Bergerot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0037-0303)
- Marianne Razavi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1070-3848)
- Pamela Carvalho Muniz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7254-3985)
- Mariana Laloni
- William Hiromi Fuzita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4662-704X)
- Paulo Gustavo Bergerot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5770-324X)
- Mauro Daniel Spina Donadio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4705-4802)
- Carlos Gil Ferreira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7228-7018)
- Jonas Ribeiro Gomes Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1486-0365)
- Gustavo Bretas
- William Dale
- Vani Katheria
- Renata Ferrari
- Diocesio Alves Pinto Andrade
- Can-Lan Sun
- Rafaela Peixoto
- Luciana Gomes Ladeira Carlos
- Anne Caroline Furtado
- Ludmila Rufatto Cora
Institutions
- City Of Hope National Medical Center (US)
- City of Hope (US)
- Sociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Clínica (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Published
- 2026-05-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.1582
- Primary Topic
- Frailty in Older Adults
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Conquer Cancer Foundation
- Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research