Frailty and associated factors in women aged 65 years and older with breast cancer: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of frailty and describe factors associated with frailty among women aged 65 years and older with breast cancer.

METHODS

This single center cross-sectional study included women aged 65 years and older with breast cancer who were recruited from a tertiary cancer hospital between May 2023 and November 2023. Frailty was assessed using the Fried frailty phenotype. Sociodemographic, clinical, psychological, nutritional, cognitive, and social support data were collected through questionnaires and electronic medical records. Frailty status was described according to relevant factors using descriptive and comparative analyses.

RESULTS

Among the 227 participants, 138 (60.8%) were classified as frail. Frailty status differed significantly according to age, occupation, number of oral medications, history of falls, sleep quality, self-rated health status, tumor stage, radiotherapy history, and number of comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty was common among women aged 65 years and older with breast cancer in this study. Several demographic and clinical characteristics were associated with frailty, highlighting the importance of routine frailty assessment and supportive care in this population.