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elected older patients represent a significant larger proportion in real life than in RCTs; furthermore, older patients in a real-world setting may experience more side effects possibly affecting the quality of life. The median PFS data suggest that older patients may not derive the same clinical benefit than their fit and younger counterparts.There is a need to enrol vulnerable/frail older patients into RCTs, ensuring that data will also be applicable in standard clinical settings. Incorporating geriatric assessment into these trials should be encouraged.In France, cancer is the leading cause of death. Its incidence is increasing due to the growing population and longer life expectancy. Although older adults represent most new cases, they remain underrepresented in clinical trials. Their prognosis is often worse due to delayed diagnosis and multimorbidities. Geriatric oncology has made great strides worldwide, highlighted by important studies implementing geriatric assessment in clinical research and supported by the successive national cancer plans. This paper reviews the most important actions taken in France during the last decade to improve the management of older patients with cancer.Mexico is an upper-middle income country located in North America, with an increasing life expectancy and a growing population of older adults. Due to population ageing and lifestyle changes, the number of cancer cases amongst older individuals is expected to increase in the upcoming decades, representing a challenge to the healthcare system. The challenges for implementing geriatric oncology care in Mexico include a fragmented healthcare system, as well as the lack of geriatric training amongst healthcare professionals. In this mini-review, we present an overview of the epidemiology of cancer amongst older adults in Mexico, the Mexican healthcare system and ongoing initiatives for the development of geriatric oncology programmes in the country. In addition, we highlight the priorities for future developments in the field of cancer and ageing in Mexico, with a focus on the various stakeholders involved.The ageing population poses new challenges globally. Cancer care for older patients is one of these challenges, and it has a significant impact on societies. In the United Kingdom (UK), as the number of older cancer patients increases, the management of this group has become part of daily practice for most oncology teams in every geographical area. Older cancer patients are at a higher risk of both under- and over-treatment. Therefore, the assessment of a patient’s biological age and effective organ functional reserve becomes paramount. This may then guide treatment decisions by better estimating a prognosis and the risk-to-benefit ratio of a given therapy to anticipate and mitigate against potential toxicities/difficulties. Moreover, older cancer patients are often affected by geriatric syndromes and other issues that impact their overall health, function and quality of life. Comprehensive geriatric assessments offer an opportunity to identify and address health problems which may then optimise one’s fitness and well-being. Whilst it is widely accepted that older cancer patients may benefit from such an approach, resources are often scarce, and access to dedicated services and research remains limited to specific centres across the UK. The aim of this project is to map the current services and projects in the UK to learn from each other and shape the future direction of care of older patients with cancer.

Cancer patients may have a higher risk of severe events and unfavourable outcomes in the setting of COVID-19. This review addresses the question of whether to test asymptomatic cancer patients before initiating systemic cancer treatments.

This systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA framework. Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched, as well as guidelines from international institutions involved in cancer care and COVID-19 research. Studies published in English, from 1 December 2019 to 27 May 2020 were considered eligible. We included studies which mentioned testing strategies for SARS-CoV-2 of asymptomatic cancer patients before starting immunosuppressive treatments.

We identified 1,163 studies and 4 guidelines through the literature search. A total of 18 articles were considered eligible and were included in the final analysis. Two articles were cohort studies, and the remaining were expert consensuses and published guiendations. Based upon this review, we proposed local recommendations at our centre. Each institution should consider the pros and cons of testing asymptomatic patients, evaluating accessibility to testing resources and local epidemiology.The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected millions worldwide and has been found to cause severe disease in patients with underlying comorbidities. In patients with known malignancies, in addition to constraints in routine healthcare, the risk of being susceptible to developing severe forms of the disease is of grave concern. selleck chemical While follow-up studies on survivors of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) 2003 outbreak revealed increased susceptibility to infections, tumours and cardiovascular abnormalities, recent studies implicating angiopoietin 2 in induction of inflammatory intussusceptive angiogenesis and diffuse alveolar damage in COVID-19 patients raises the possibility of progression of carcinogenetic processes in patients with known malignancies. Angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) mediated cellular entry of SARS-Cov2 leads to receptor shedding of ACE-2 and disrupts the renin angiotensin aldosterone axis (RAAS). This augments the pro-inflammatory and proliferative epothesise that SARS-Cov2, by impacting the RAAS and immune system, has the potential to cause tumour cell proliferation, apoptosis evasion and metastasis, thereby increasing the possibility of cancer progression in patients with known malignancies.Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in China in late 2019, infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread virtually worldwide. This infection has adversely affected several countries; governments have outlined a series of political measures aimed to preserve the health and safety of their populations. In Peru, most actions have prioritised COVID-19 attention, with a subsequent gap in the healthcare facilities needed for other diseases. Cancer, one principal cause of death in the country, is usually diagnosed late. Moreover, in the pandemic context, the prevention and control of cancer have been negatively affected. Therefore, we carried out a multidisciplinary analysis using the Ishikawa diagram to identify the probable factors that contribute to cancer progression and deaths in Peru.