Geriatric Oncology
Geriatric Oncology Task Force
The BSMO board has established a geriatric oncology task force/subunit under the auspices of the BSMO in 2011.
The goals of this task force are fourfold:
- Implementation of geriatric assessment: the cancer plan has provided significant financial support for geriatric assessment projects in Belgium, but there is a need for optimal collaboration and uniformisation. Bringing together interested oncologists under the umbrella of the BSMO can facilitate communication between the oncologists in Belgium.
- Education: SIOG (the international society of geriatric oncology) is promoting to integrate geriatric oncology in the curriculum of medical oncology trainees. Some countries develop intense training programs, but this could probably also be developed more in collaboration with geriatrics. For instance, a rotation at the department of geriatrics during the first 3 years of training in internal medicine could become required, and geriatric oncology could also become a formal part of the postgraduate BSMO training program.
- Clinical trial platform: Future scientific projects could also be run broadly across centres in Belgium under the BSMO umbrella.
- Political: there are negotiations ongoing with the government about optimal financing of geriatric assessment, e.g. by coupling finances to the MOC
Members of the Geriatric Oncology Task Force
