{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.033283656234475906, 'fraction_numerical': 0.02334823646299056, 'mean_word_length': 5.1030303030303035, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
055Point Prevalence of Malignancy in a Geriatric Medicine Inpatient Cohort

Background: With Ireland’s ageing demographics and increasing risk factor prevalence, the incidence of cancer is expected to double by 2040 [1]. This will lead to a fourfold increase in its prevalence, presenting an important challenge for the provision of optimal cancer care to older persons. We set out to evaluate the point prevalence of current and prior diagnosis of malignancy in a specialised geriatric medicine inpatient population of an acute hospital. Methods: Data was extracted by reviewing the electronic patient record and paper chart of each patient under the care of the geriatric medicine service on a single week day. Information regarding demographics, current and prior cancer diagnosis and treatment was recorded. Results: On the day of data collection, there were 154 inpatients under the care of our geriatric service. The median age was 83 years; 71 (46.1%) were male. The prevalence of current diagnosis of cancers excluding non-melanoma skin cancer was 12.34% while the prevalence of previous cancer diagnosis was 16.23%. The commonest current cancer diagnoses were that of female breast (n = 3), lung (n = 2), colorectal (n = 2), mouth & pharynx (n = 2), multiple myeloma (n = 2) and others (n = 8). Twelve had had surgery or were undergoing treatment during this hospitalisation. Six were being managed conservatively. Of those that received treatment, 4 were treated with surgery alone and 3 were on hormonal therapy. Conclusion: Geriatric oncology is an increasingly recognised and evolving subspecialty. Our findings highlight the prevalence of current and prior malignancy in a geriatric medicine inpatient cohort and support the need for further interspecialty training, opportunities for shared learning and the potential for increased integration of clinical services in the future. Reference 1. National Cancer Registry. Cancer projections for Ireland 2015–2040. Cork: National Cancer Registry, 2014.