A prospective observational cohort study to screen major depressive disorders in geriatric oncology-Comparison of different scales.

OBJECTIVE: Systematic depression screening is recommended for older patients with cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of three mood disorder screening scales frequently used in geriatric oncology to help in diagnosing major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: A prospective multicentre study was conducted in patients 70 years of age and over with cancer, comparing three self-report questionnaires: the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - Depression (HADS-D) and the Distress Thermometer (DT). In the event of abnormal scores, a psychologist consultation was suggested and a reassessment of the patient's mood was planned within 3 weeks. Potential differences between initial abnormal screening score and confirmed MDD (according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria [DSM-5]) were assessed using variance analysis for each screening scale. RESULTS: Ninety-three patients with a median age of 81 years (70-95) were included. Sixty-six patients had at least one abnormal score on one of the screening scales. MDD was confirmed in 10 of the 36 reassessed patients. Analysis of ROC curves showed that the HADS-D significantly predicted MDD (AUC = 0.760, IC95% : 0.603-0.917; p = 0.017), but not the GDS-15 or the initial DT. CONCLUSION: The HADS-D could better detect MDD, to confirm in a larger sample.

Prospective comparison of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) in geriatric oncology.

INTRODUCTION: Among the various instruments recommended by the International Society of Geriatric Oncology, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is the most commonly used cognitive screening test before oncological treatment. Although the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been shown to be more sensitive than the MMSE in several pathologies, no specific data exist for older patients with cancer. We aimed to compare the proportions of older patients with cancer who had screened positive for cognitive impairment according to the MMSE and MoCA scores obtained during a pretherapeutic geriatric assessment (GA) in oncology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted among 66 patients older than 70 years who were candidates for a first-line treatment for either a solid tumor or hematological malignancy. Patients with brain tumor or previously known dementia were ineligible. During GA, cognitive function was assessed using both the MoCA and the MMSE tests administered in a random order. RESULTS: Median age was 78 years. Most patients (n = 43, 65.2%) had a solid tumor. The median scores were 26 [11-30] for MMSE and 24 [8-30] for MoCA. Thirteen (19.7%) and 44 (66.7%) patients were screened positive for cognitive impairment according to MMSE and MoCA scores, respectively. Overall, 55 (66.7%) patients were screened positive: 12 (21.8%) on both scores, 32 (70.5%) with the MoCA only, and one patient with MMSE only (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The MoCA test seems to be most relevant to screen for cognitive impairment in older patients with cancer.