A new research paper has been published in the journal Aging, also listed as “Aging (Albany NY)” on MEDLINE/PubMed and “Aging-US” by Web of Science. The article appeared in Volume 16, Issue 18 on September 26, 2024, under the title, “Frailty and Pre-frailty Associated with Long-term Diminished Physical Performance and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer and Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Survivors.” This study highlights the complex challenges survivors face of certain cancers as they age.
The abstract of the paper points out that physical frailty, which may signify accelerated ageing, is poorly characterized in individuals who have survived breast cancer (BC) and hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). The research focuses on understanding how frailty impacts overall outcomes and the quality of life (QOL) of these survivors, areas which have previously been vaguely defined in medical literature.
The research was a collaborative effort involving numerous experts from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Amgen in Thousand Oaks, CA, and Columbia University Medical Center in New York, NY. Researchers such as Najla El Jurdi, Hok Sreng Te, Qing Cao, Char Napurski, Shuo Wang, Andre Robinson, Mukta Arora, Heba ElHusseini, Fiona He, Laura J. Niedernhofer, Bharat Thyagarajan, Anna Prizment, Shernan Holtan, Anne Hudson Blaes, and Matthew J. Yousefzadeh contributed to this prospective analysis, aiming to evaluate the impact of frailty on quality of life and its link to the ageing biomarker, p16INK4a.
The study articulates the alarming prevalence of frailty among survivors, specifically those who have battled breast cancer and those who have undergone hematopoietic cell transplants. The researchers highlight that frailty has significant and detrimental effects on these individuals’ physical functioning, quality of life, and overall well-being. This observation underpins the study’s call for further research and intervention strategies to address these issues.
The study’s findings demonstrate a notable correlation between frailty and the senescence marker p16INK4a, even years after cancer treatments are completed. This link further emphasizes the necessity for well-designed senolytic trials targeting cancer survivors. Such trials could offer new avenues for improving this vulnerable population’s long-term health and quality of life, illustrating a crucial step forward in survivorship care.
More information: Najla El Jurdi et al, Frailty and pre-frailty associated with long-term diminished physical performance and quality of life in breast cancer and hematopoietic cell transplant survivors, Aging-US. DOI: 10.18632/aging.206109
Journal information: Aging-US Provided by Impact Journals LLC
