Geriatric Assessment and Nursing Telephone Intervention in Elderly Women With Ovarian Cancer

Older woman with ovarian cancer have a worse prognosis compared to younger patients. However,
the reason is not known. Currently, the standard of care is to evaluate younger and older
patients with cancer the same way. However, older patients with cancer often have more
complicated issues to manage. For example, older patients often have other medical problems,
take more medications, and be dependent on others for help and transportation. Too often, the
medical team is unaware of these issues which can effect the patients care.

The purpose of this study is to apply a set of questions designed specifically for patients
with cancer who are older than 65 years of age. These questions are called a geriatric
assessment.

The investigators want to better understand which older patients with ovarian cancer will be
able to tolerate the chemotherapy and surgery and why. This study will also see if a
telephone call from a nurse who specializes in caring for older patients will improve patient
care. This study will determine how feasible it is to perform geriatric assessments and
telephone calls in patients with ovarian cancer.