Frailty and Cancer Prognosis

This review aims to summarize the current evidence regarding the prognostic role of frailty in older patients diagnosed with cancer and to explore the evidence regarding its prognostic implications in cancer survivors.

Frailty has been consistently associated with mortality/overall survival, postoperative complications, short- and long-term postoperative mortality, length of stay, among other adverse health-related outcomes in several oncological contexts. The possible association between frailty and treatment toxicity has been less explored, however most studies suggest frailty is a predictor of treatment induced toxicity. In addition, in cancer survivors, frailty is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, incident type 2 diabetes mellitus, mortality, altered cognitive performance and increased symptom severity.

Due to its usefulness in establishing prognosis and informing treatment decision making, it is expected that frailty screening and assessment will continue to gain popularity as part of the pretreatment evaluation of older patients with cancer.