Geriatric Dermatologic Surgery Part I: Frailty assessment and palliative treatments in the geriatric dermatology population

Longer life expectancy and increasing keratinocyte carcinoma incidence contribute to an increase in geriatric patients presenting for dermatologic surgery. Unique considerations accompany geriatric patients including goals of care, physiologic changes in medication metabolism, cognitive decline, and frailty. Limited geriatric training in dermatology residency has created a knowledge gap and dermatologic surgeons should be familiar with challenges facing older patients to provide interventions more congruent with goals and avoid overtreatment. Frailty assessments including the Geriatric 8 and Karnofsky Performance Scale are efficient tools to identify patients who are at risk for poor outcomes and complications. When frail patients are identified, goals of care discussions can be aided using structured palliative care frameworks including the 4Ms, REMAP, and Serious Illness Conversation Guide. Most geriatric patients will tolerate standard of care treatments including invasive modalities like Mohs surgery and excision. However, for frail patients, non-standard treatments including topicals, energy-based devices, and intralesional chemotherapy may be appropriate options to limit patient morbidity while offering reasonable disease control.