# Administrative Supplement to Promote Research Continuity and Retention

> **NIH NIH K76** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $53,999

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This is an Administrative Supplement for a parent Beeson K76 career development award for Dr. Melisa Wong,
a thoracic oncology clinician-investigator dually trained in medical oncology and aging research. Dr. Wong's
long-term goal is to become a leader in geriatric oncology research, improving cancer care for older adults by
aligning treatments with individualized patient goals. More than 72% of older adults with cancer report that they
would not choose a treatment that results in functional impairment, even if it improves survival. Yet, oncologists
traditionally make treatment decisions based on cancer characteristics, often without discussing how treatment
might affect function or eliciting patients' goals and values. To move from cancer-centered to patient-centered
decision making, oncologists must both predict which older adults are at highest risk for functional decline and
communicate complex information about benefits and harms to patients in a way that aligns treatment with
their goals for function, quality of life, longevity, and other priorities. This proposal aims to 1) identify risk factors
for functional decline in daily activities, physical performance, and life-space mobility during chemotherapy
and/or immunotherapy in older adults with metastatic lung cancer; 2A) adapt the Best Case/Worst Case
(BC/WC) communication tool; and 2B) test the adapted BC/WC tool's feasibility for use during treatment
discussions with older adults with lung cancer. In Aim 1's multi-clinic cohort study, patients age 65 and older
with metastatic lung cancer will undergo serial geriatric assessments to measure functional status during
chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy. In Aim 2A, older adults with lung cancer, caregivers, and oncologists will
participate in focus groups to elicit feedback aimed at adapting the BC/WC tool to incorporate function and
other patient priorities into patient-centered decision making. In Aim 2B's pre-post pilot study, oncologists will
be trained to use the adapted BC/WC tool; treatment discussions with older adults with lung cancer before and
after training will be analyzed. Dr. Wong's exceptional multidisciplinary mentoring team is led by Dr. Louise
Walter, an internationally recognized expert on individualized decision making for cancer screening in older
adults. This award will support Dr. Wong's transition to research independence through dedicated training in 1)
longitudinal modeling and risk prediction for functional decline in older adults with cancer; 2) shared decision
making and decision-making interventions for older adults with functional or cognitive impairment; 3) clinical
trial design to test decision-making interventions for older adults with cancer; and 4) leadership skills to direct
multicenter research to transform geriatric oncology care. The results from this proposal will serve as the
foundation for a multicenter cohort study to develop and validate a risk prediction score for functio...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10175954
- **Project number:** 3K76AG064431-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Melisa L Wong
- **Activity code:** K76 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $53,999
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-07-15 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10175954

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10175954, Administrative Supplement to Promote Research Continuity and Retention (3K76AG064431-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10175954. Licensed CC0.

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