Multicenter prospective study of chemotherapy-related toxic effects and quality of life and physical functioning among older patients

Older patients are at increased risk of developing grade 3 or higher chemotherapy-related toxic effects. A multicenter prospective trial in the Netherlands investigated the association of grade 3 or higher chemotherapy-related toxic effects with quality of life (QL) and physical functioning (PF) over time among patients aged 70 years or older. QOL and PF were assessed at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Among patients with baseline frailty, grade 3 or higher toxic effects were associated with a composite end point (decline in QOL and/or PF of mortality). Among non-frail patients grade3 or higher toxic effects were nog associated with the composite end point. The authors conclude that these findings highlight the importance of pretreatment frailty screening and individualized treatment adaptations.