Work

Racial disparities in longitudinal frailty state transitions among older cancer survivors

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Black older patients with cancer are at high risk of frailty during cancer treatment, yet racial disparities in long-term frailty state transitions during the survivorship phase are understudied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal analysis of older cancer survivors (≥65 years) using rounds 1-9 (2011-2019) of the National Health and Aging Trends Study. A multistate Markov model assessed one-year transitions across Fried frailty phenotypes states (robust, prefrail, frail) and death, stratified by self-reported race (Black vs. non-Black). RESULTS: Among 1303 survivors, 55 % were female, 24 % Black, and 76 % non-Black. Black survivors were less likely to remain robust (50 % vs. 57 %), more likely to stay frail (46 % vs. 39 %), more likely to die, and more likely to transition to poorer frailty states (e.g., robust to prefrail or frail) than non-Black survivors. DISCUSSION: Black older cancer survivors experience poorer frailty trajectories than non-Black counterparts, highlighting the need for targeted survivorship care to improve long-term outcomes.

Source: Journal of Geriatric Oncology

DOI: 10.1016/j.jgo.2025.102277

Authors: Hannah N. Lee, Anna G. Kuzma, Heidi D. Klepin, Emilie D. Duchesneau

Institutions: Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University

Language: English

Topic: Frailty in Older Adults

Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,610