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Updated: Jan 7, 2026
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Measuring Frailty in HIV-infected Individuals. Identification of Frail Patients is the First Step to Amelioration and Reversal of Frailty
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Changes in Frailty and Incident Cancer: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study
Zhaoting Bu1,2,3, Xinying Chen1,2,3, Xiaoyue Liu1,2,3
1Department of Clinical Nutrition, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle
|December 16, 2025
Summary
Dynamic frailty status, not just baseline frailty, impacts cancer risk. Frailty progression increases cancer risk, while recovery from frailty reduces it, highlighting the need for dynamic monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Frailty is a known cancer risk factor, but studies often use single time points.
- The dynamic relationship between frailty changes and cancer incidence is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess associations between baseline frailty and changes in frailty with subsequent cancer risk.
- To investigate the impact of frailty progression and recovery on cancer incidence.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a US national prospective cohort.
- Assessed frailty using a 29-item Rockwood frailty index (robust, pre-frail, frail).
- Analyzed frailty changes over 2 years and incident cancer using Cox proportional hazards models.
Main Results:
- Baseline frailty significantly increased cancer risk (frail vs. robust: HR 1.61; pre-frail vs. robust: HR 1.46).
- Frailty progression (robust to pre-frail/frail) elevated cancer risk (HR 2.50).
- Recovery from frailty (frail to pre-frail/robust or pre-frail to robust) reduced cancer risk (HR 0.66 and 0.51, respectively).
- Increased frailty index over time remained associated with higher cancer risk (highest vs. lowest quartile of ΔFI: HR 1.35).
Conclusions:
- Both baseline frailty and dynamic changes in frailty status are independent predictors of cancer risk.
- Frailty progression elevates cancer risk, whereas recovery from frailty is linked to reduced risk.
- Dynamic frailty monitoring is crucial; interventions targeting frailty may reduce cancer risk.
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