Exercise interventions for frail older adults with cancer

Abstract

Purpose of review: Frailty is prevalent in older adults with cancer and can lead to complications during cancer treatment and poor health outcomes. Exercise has been shown to be a promising strategy to mitigate frailty and slow the accumulation of functional impairment in the general geriatric population. In this review, we present a discussion on the state of the science of exercise interventions for frail older adults with cancer. This review is timely and relevant given the aging of the population and corresponding increase in proportion of older adults living with cancer.

Recent findings: Existing research related to exercise interventions for frail older adults with cancer appear to show some promise in feasibility and efficacy in both surgical and systemic treatment settings.

Summary: More research on this topic and testing rigorously structured exercise interventions for older adults with cancer may help inform cancer-specific guidelines and create a foundation of evidence to enable implementation of exercise interventions. These interventions can support cancer care to attenuate frailty-related outcomes while extending its benefit to overall health of this population.