Highlight SIOG 2024

From the 17th until the 19th of October, Montréal (Canada) formed the backdrop for the 2024 annual meeting of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG). In this video, Prof Dr Hans Wildiers, medical oncologist at the University Hospitals Leuven and active board member of SIOG, shares his key take-aways from SIOG 2024.

From the year 2000 onwards, it has become clear that geriatric assessments in older patients with cancer can reveal important problems are comorbidities that otherwise remain undetected. Since then, geriatric assessments have become part of the routine work-up of older cancer patients in many centers. However, now it is time to take the next step and start to act on the problems that are detected in the geriatric assessment. Despite the fact that many clinical trials have demonstrated how geriatric interventions can improve outcomes in older cancer patients (e.g., less toxicity, better quality of life, longer survival, more treatment completion), the implementation of these interventions in clinical practice remains suboptimal. In this light, SIOG 2024 dedicated a lot of attention to implementation models. In the US and Canada, the most popular of these models consists of geriatric oncology clinics that are run by dual trained specialists in oncology and geriatrics. For Prof Wildiers, however, this model is probably not suited for Belgian practice. In fact, most cancer clinics in Belgium are found in large centers that also have a geriatric department. As such, in contrast to the US, geriatric expertise is always nearby when oncologists need support. Furthermore, oncology clinics in Belgium tend to have a large team of paramedical specialists, meaning that also the supportive care can be provided within the oncology clinic. For the Belgian clinical practice, it therefore seems more interesting to focus on short geriatric assessment tools and link the outcome of these assessments to specific care pathways.

SIOG 2024 also discussed numerous tools that can help clinicians in the care for older patients with cancer. For example, scores have been developed that predict the risk for chemotherapy-induced toxicity in older patients, or that predict the chance for complications following surgery. Other scores allow physicians to estimate the survival of cancer patients based on the outcome of a geriatric assessment which gives an idea whether an anticancer therapy is still worthwhile.

The 2024 SIOG meeting once again demonstrated that the care for older cancer patients is a truly multidisciplinary field. In fact, the meeting featured interesting presentations in the field of medical oncology, radiotherapy, surgery and geriatrics. In addition, the importance of re- and pre-habilitation was emphasized, while other sessions underscored the importance of pharmacists in optimizing the polypharmacy in older patients. Finally, also the voice of the patient was heard at the meeting with an entire session dedicated to patient advocacy and the role these organizations can play in the development of better care pathways for older patients with cancer. 

In 2025 the annual SIOG meeting comes to Ghent offering a great opportunity to Belgian healthcare providers involved in the care for older cancer patients to share their experience and learn from international colleagues.