Frailty and Oncology: An Increasingly Common Combination

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Oncology
• Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

• Frailty, characterized by reduced physiological reserve, is highly prevalent in cancer patients.
• It is linked to worse prognosis, increased morbidity, and treatment toxicity.
• Understanding frailty's interaction with cancer is vital for optimizing treatment decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the complex relationship between frailty and cancer.
• To guide optimized therapeutic decision-making in oncology.
• To enhance patient-centered outcomes in frail cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• A narrative literature review was performed using PubMed up to July 2025.
• Search terms included "frailty", "oncology", "cancer", "diagnosis", "treatment", and "prognosis".
• Prioritized clinical guidelines, reviews, observational studies, and randomized trials.

Main Results:

• Frailty independently predicts adverse outcomes, including postoperative morbidity, chemotherapy toxicity, functional decline, and mortality.
• Frailty assessment is key for personalized oncology, enabling treatment individualization beyond tumor type.
• Multimodal interventions and oncogeriatric models improve tolerance, quality of life, and adherence to treatment plans.

Conclusions:

• Frailty is a critical clinical factor, not a contraindication for cancer treatment.
• Structured frailty evaluation and integrated care pathways are essential for equitable patient management.
• Integrating frailty into oncology operationalizes personalized medicine by focusing on the whole patient.