Collaboration between community and hospital pharmacists on follow-up of elderly patients with advanced unresectable cancer using the Geriatric-8 screening tool

Objectives The utility of the Geriatric-8 (G8) tool and pharmacist follow-up for elderly advanced unresectable cancer patients remains unclear. This study evaluates the G8 tool’s role in identifying frailty and the impact of intensive pharmacist interventions on treatment duration, adverse events, and outcomes.Method Patients aged ≥65 receiving outpatient anticancer medications underwent G8 assessment at treatment onset. The follow-up group (G8 ≤ 14) received intensive pharmacist monitoring for adverse events and recommendations. Community pharmacists contacted patients regularly, while hospital pharmacists managed shared findings. The comparison group (G8 > 14) had no intensive follow-up. Outcomes were treatment duration, hospitalization, and death.Results Twenty-nine and 12 patients were included in the follow-up and comparison groups, respectively. Treatment duration was shorter in the follow-up group (median 83 vs 244 days, P = 0.04), with no significant difference in survival duration (P = 0.50). The follow-up group had higher rates of weight loss and lower BMI, indicating frailty. Unscheduled outpatient visits and emergency transport rates did not differ significantly.Conclusion The findings highlight the value of G8-based assessments and pharmacist-led interventions in managing frail elderly cancer patients. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess long-term benefits, including quality of life and resource optimization.