BMC Geriatrics (Jul 2018)

Do older individuals who are diagnosed with cancer have worse physical performance prior to diagnosis compared to matched controls? A longitudinal cohort study

  • S. M. L. M. Looijaard,
  • M. S. Slee-Valentijn,
  • L. N. Groeneveldt,
  • D. J. H. Deeg,
  • M. Huisman,
  • A. B. Maier

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-018-0850-z
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

Read online

Abstract Background Impaired physical performance is highly prevalent in older cancer patients and is associated with cancer-related outcomes such as mortality and chemotherapy-related toxicity. Physical performance might already decline prior to the cancer diagnosis due to undiagnosed disease. This study aimed to assess whether the physical performance of community-dwelling individuals prior to cancer diagnosis is worse compared to matched controls who are not diagnosed with cancer. Methods The study sample was selected from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, a longitudinal study on a nationally representative sample of the Dutch older population. Physical performance of initially cancer-free individuals aged 55–84 years who were diagnosed with cancer during 10 or 20 years of follow-up was compared to the physical performance of controls who were not diagnosed with cancer. For controls, the physical performance measurements of the cycle with a median age closest to the cancer group were used. The time interval between physical performance measurements and the report of cancer was 2 to 4 years. Groups were compared using logistic and linear regression analysis. Results The study sample included 1735 individuals with a median age of 68.7 [interquartile range 63.3–76.4] years. During follow-up, 414 (23.9%) individuals were diagnosed with cancer. Handgrip strength, gait speed, chair stand ability, chair stand test time and ability to put on and take off a cardigan did not differ between groups. Individuals prior to cancer diagnosis were more likely to complete the tandem balance test. Conclusions Physical performance of individuals 2 to 4 years prior to report of cancer diagnosis is not lower compared to controls. This suggests that physical performance may not be influenced by cancer before diagnosis.

Keywords