The objective of this prospective multicentre study that recruits altogether 1500 older patients from the university hospitals of Tampere, Kuopio, and Oulu is to explore the clinical significance and detection of causes of generalized vulnerability. The objectives are:
O1 - Establish the prevalence of causes of generalized vulnerability among patients diagnosed with severe yet non-malignant diseases and local/locally advanced and advanced cancers, O2 - Study how causes of generalized vulnerability affect the time between the diagnosis and the adoption of a fully palliative treatment line, overall survival, and patient-reported quality of life in older adults severe diseases, and O3 - Evaluate how screening tools commonly used in patients without cancer perform in screening for causes of vulnerability in older adults with cancer
Suspected or diagnosed disease
≥60 years old patients, except for patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantion who need to be ≥18 years old
Cross-sectional imaging maximum 45 days prior to consenting or before the next treatment line
Patients with cancer (other than patients with prostate cancer treated with hormonal treatment before radiation treatment): study procedures (excluding image analyses) must have been carried out maximum 1 month prior to the start of a new treatment line
Not willing or unable to give written consent
Patient not deemed suitable for the study by the researcher approaching the patient
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Treatment groupsSee each treatment group below.