At the recent ASCO Annual Meeting 2022 Dr Etienne Brain received the B.J. Kennedy Geriatric Oncology Award for his longstanding commitment and contribution to improving the treatment and care of older patients with cancer.
Treating older patients with cancer is complex and requires specific treatment approaches that take into account the additional symptoms and specific health conditions related to age. Although older adults now represent the majority of patients with cancer, there is still a lack of research and robust data in geriatric oncology, and this patient group is underrepresented in clinical trials (at most, 15% of all patients enrolled in studies are older than 75).
In his lecture, Dr Brain called for more representation of these patients in clinical trials, more education in geriatric oncology, and better collaboration between oncologists and geriatricians in order to prioritise and coordinate treatments and care.
“We need more distributive research and specific education to fight ageism and improve cancer care in the older patients. They deserve it. The onus is on us!,” says Dr Etienne Brain.
Dr Brain, MD, PhD, is a world-renowned oncologist and researcher, involved in both French and international studies on breast cancer in older women, such as ASTER 70s, one of the largest clinical trials conducted in the postoperative setting in women with breast cancer older than 70 (NCT01564056), and BIG’s APPALACHES (NCT03609047) study.
Dr Brain is senior medical oncologist at Institut Curie, in Saint-Cloud, France, and Secretary General of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). He was President of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) from 2014 to 2106 and has been a member of BIG’s Executive Board since 2018.
