Cancer survivors of older age with comorbidities, depression and low mobility are more likely to suffer from frailty, finds a new study. Prevention strategies could help to lower frailty risk in these seniors, say the researchers.
Investigators conducted a cross-sectional analysis using national data from the National Social Health and Aging Project Wave 2. They observed the health status of participants aged 50 and older who reported having had cancer. Among 394 cancer survivors, 16% were frail, 60% were pre-frail, and 24% did not have frailty. Those who had high self-rated physical and mental health were less likely to be frail, reported lead author Thuy T. Koll, M.D., from the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“The findings highlight the importance of incorporating geriatric assessment into cancer survivorship to prevent and delay the progression of frailty,” concluded Koll and colleagues.
Full findings were published in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology.
