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Identifying Frailty Using Point-of-Care Ultrasonography: Image Acquisition and Assessment
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Frailty: a common pathway in aging and cancer
1Senior Adult Oncology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. lodovico.balducci@moffitt.org
Interdisciplinary Topics in Gerontology
|March 19, 2013
Summary
Frailty, a key aspect of aging, lacks a clear clinical definition. Further research is needed to determine if frailty predicts survival and treatment tolerance in older cancer patients.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Geriatric Medicine
- Oncology
Background:
- Frailty is closely related to aging, but a universally accepted clinical definition is lacking.
- Existing concepts of frailty include a critical threshold of reduced functional reserve and a progressive accumulation of deficits.
- Current definitions of frailty have limited applicability in managing older cancer patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the clinical definition and application of frailty in aging and oncology.
- To investigate the potential of the Fried et al. frailty construct in older cancer patients.
Main Methods:
- Review of geriatric literature on frailty definitions.
- Discussion of the applicability of current frailty concepts in cancer care.
- Proposal for future studies on frailty in older cancer patients.
Main Results:
- Two primary conceptualizations of frailty exist in geriatric literature: a threshold model and a deficit accumulation model.
- Distinguishing frailty from normal aging remains challenging within these constructs.
- The clinical utility of these frailty models in older cancer patients is currently unclear.
Conclusions:
- A clear clinical definition of frailty is needed, particularly for application in geriatric oncology.
- Further studies are required to validate the Fried et al. frailty model's predictive value for survival and treatment tolerance in older cancer patients.
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