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Review
. 2020 Jul:221:65-82.
doi: 10.1016/j.trsl.2020.03.013. Epub 2020 May 1.

Frailty and aging in cancer survivors

Kirsten K Ness  1 , Matthew D Wogksch  2
Affiliations
Review

Frailty and aging in cancer survivors

Kirsten K Ness et al. Transl Res. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

There are over 15 million survivors of cancer in the United States whose rates of frailty, an aging phenotype, range from just under 10% to over 80%. Frailty impacts not only disease survival but also long-term function and quality of life in children, adolescents, and in all adults diagnosed and/or treated for cancer. This review explains frailty as a construct and model of physiologic well-being. It also describes how frailty at diagnosis impacts cancer outcomes in adult populations and enumerates the prevalence of frailty in different populations of cancer survivors. Biological mechanisms responsible for aging and potentially for frailty among individuals with or who have been treated for cancer are discussed. Finally, promising pharmaceutical and lifestyle interventions designed to impact aging rather than a specific disease, tested in other populations, but likely applicable in cancer patients and survivors, are discussed.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Hypothesized trajectories of aging-related consequences of cancer and cancer treatment.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Hallmarks of Aging.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Future Research Directions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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