NURSE-led Geriatric Assessment in Older Colorectal Cancer Patients

Older colorectal cancer patients frequently present with frailty, comorbidity, and other age-related vulnerabilities that may affect treatment tolerance and outcomes. Geriatric assessment is recommended for older adults with cancer but remains underutilized. The NURSE-GA study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a nurse-led geriatric assessment intervention prior to treatment decision-making for patients aged 70 years and older who are newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer and have a Clinical Frailty Scale score of 4 or higher. Trained nurses will perform structured geriatric assessments and identify optimization needs and referral needs. The study will evaluate intervention delivery, patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, usability among multidisciplinary team members, self-efficacy among nurses, and recruitment and retention rates.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 70 years or older * Newly diagnosed colorectal cancer * Clinical Frailty Scale score 4 or higher * Able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Cancer treatment already initiated * Clinical Frailty Scale score 3 or less * Unable to understand, read, or speak Norwegian