Planning and delivering appropriate cancer care for older women presents a number of challenges. Improved communication between the fields of oncology and geriatrics is required to facilitate the delivery of best practice care, which takes into account physiological age, complex comorbidities, risk of adverse events and drug interactions, as well as the implications of cognitive impairment on suitability of treatment and consent (Steer et al. 2009).

A national interdisciplinary workshop convened by the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia recommended that women over the age of 70 undergo some form of geriatric assessment, in line with international guidelines (COSA 2013). This assessment can be used to determine life expectancy and treatment tolerance as well as identifying conditions that might interfere with treatment including:

• function
• comorbidity
• presence of geriatric syndromes
• nutrition
• polypharmacy
• cognition
• emotional status
• social supports.

Guided intervention using aged care services is appropriate.