TY - JOUR
T1 - The frailty syndrome
T2 - A critical issue in geriatric oncology
AU - Ferrucci, Luigi
AU - Guralnik, Jack M.
AU - Cavazzini, Chiara
AU - Bandinelli, Stefania
AU - Lauretani, Fulvio
AU - Bartali, Benedetta
AU - Repetto, Lazzaro
AU - Longo, Dan L.
PY - 2003/5/1
Y1 - 2003/5/1
N2 - Evidence exists that the geriatric intervention guided by Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) has positive effects on a number of important health outcomes in frail older patients. Although a number of observational studies, editorials, special articles and clinical reports, suggest that CGA should be used to guide the assessment and clinical decision-making in older cancer patients, there is limited support to this view in the literature. Older patients that are diagnosed with cancer are usually healthier and less problematic than persons of the same age who are randomly sampled from the general population. In these persons, the cancer dominates the clinical picture and, therefore, instruments especially tuned for the frail elderly may provide little information. The concept of the frailty syndrome, characterized by high susceptibility, low functional reserve and unstable homeostasis, has recently received a lot of attention by the geriatric community. A CGA approach, which also evaluates elements of the frailty syndrome, may be of great interest for those oncologists who want to identify older patients likely to develop severe toxicity and severe side effects in response to aggressive treatment. Improvements in the definition of the frailty syndrome may profit from the clinical experience of oncologists.
AB - Evidence exists that the geriatric intervention guided by Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) has positive effects on a number of important health outcomes in frail older patients. Although a number of observational studies, editorials, special articles and clinical reports, suggest that CGA should be used to guide the assessment and clinical decision-making in older cancer patients, there is limited support to this view in the literature. Older patients that are diagnosed with cancer are usually healthier and less problematic than persons of the same age who are randomly sampled from the general population. In these persons, the cancer dominates the clinical picture and, therefore, instruments especially tuned for the frail elderly may provide little information. The concept of the frailty syndrome, characterized by high susceptibility, low functional reserve and unstable homeostasis, has recently received a lot of attention by the geriatric community. A CGA approach, which also evaluates elements of the frailty syndrome, may be of great interest for those oncologists who want to identify older patients likely to develop severe toxicity and severe side effects in response to aggressive treatment. Improvements in the definition of the frailty syndrome may profit from the clinical experience of oncologists.
KW - Cancer
KW - Comprehensive geriatric assessment
KW - Elderly
KW - Frailty
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0345381933&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0345381933&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S1040-8428(02)00177-4
DO - 10.1016/S1040-8428(02)00177-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 12711358
AN - SCOPUS:0345381933
SN - 1040-8428
VL - 46
SP - 127
EP - 137
JO - Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
JF - Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
IS - 2
ER -