Faculty Affairs and Academic Programs
Alex John Fauer
Medical; Health Sciences; Nursing
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing
UC Davis
Survival Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness of a Geriatric Assessment-Guided Model of Supportive Care for Older Adults with Cancer
Older adults (age 65+) represent the largest and fastest growing age group of cancer survivors. Older cancer survivors, compared to younger age groups, are at greater risks for comorbidity and functional impairments following cancer treatment—significant, potentially long-term challenges. No nationally adopted, gold standard model of follow-up care exists to prevent such health risks, and avoidable hospital use. The proposed study aims to determine the effectiveness of a Geriatric Assessment (GA) randomized clinical trial in reducing acute care utilization (hospitalization, emergency department [ED] visits), mortality, and health care costs —a striking evidence gap in clinical oncology. The research leverages the California Cancer Registry (CCR) at UC Davis and a preeminent collaborative team at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. The analytic cases are older adults (N = 605) with cancer residing in California, treated with chemotherapy from 2015-2019. We hypothesize that older adults who received GA-guided post-treatment care (intervention) compared to usual care (control) will have reduced relative rates of A) hospitalization, ED visits, and mortality; and B) costs attributed to hospitalization and ED visits. Evidence of effectiveness from GA improving cancer-related outcomes, health care use, and costs has the potential to aid the scaling and adaptation to develop GA as the gold standard for post-treatment, aging-centered cancer care. The research is led by Assistant Professor Alex Fauer, PhD, RN, OCN®, an oncology nurse and health services researcher. Dr. Fauer’s funded research topics include health care delivery interventions in geriatric oncology.
