DK / EN
The IMPROVE project is intended to investigate whether a specialised health assessment can improve treatment for patients aged 70 or above who are frail and have haematological cancer (cancer of the blood, bone marrow or lymphatic system).
“The background for the project is that when patients in this target group are treated for cancer, quality of life and physical function are often impaired, and there is an increased risk of adverse reactions, which we want to counteract,” explains Henrik Frederiksen, consultant in haematology, professor and head of research at Odense University Hospital.
The project is a randomised trial, in which half of the trial subjects go through a specialised geriatric health assessment and targeted steps to optimise their health while their cancer is being treated.
“We are investigating whether efforts to optimise the patients’ health lead to better quality of life and function, improved muscle strength and a longer lifetime, and also result in fewer adverse reactions and fewer changes in the cancer treatment. The project is already running at several haematological departments in Denmark, and four more are planning to start,” says Henrik Frederiksen.