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The fall rate of older community-dwelling cancer patients

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Abstract

Purpose

Little is known about the incidence of falls in cancer patients receiving cancer treatment. The aims were to explore the number of falls older adults report in the 6 months after cancer diagnosis, and if those with a fall were more frail than those who did not fall.

Methods

Secondary data analysis of a prospective pilot study that recruited patients aged 65 and older with a new cancer diagnosis. At each interview (baseline, 3- and 6-month follow-up), participants were asked if they had a fall in the previous 3 months. The frailty markers and functional status were obtained at baseline, 3- and 6-month follow-up. Chi-square and t tests were used to compare those who had a fall to those who had no fall. Univariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the association between sociodemographic and health characteristics and reporting a fall.

Results

Seventeen participants (18.7 %) reported one or more falls in the first 6 months after cancer diagnosis. Fifteen participants reported one or more falls in the 3 months prior to the cancer diagnosis. Those who had a fall and those with no fall were not different in terms of health and functioning. None of the sociodemographic and health characteristics including the frailty markers were associated with a fall.

Conclusion

A fall is common in cancer patients. More research is needed to examine the risk factors for a fall in older adults receiving cancer treatment.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all of the participants who gave their time during a very difficult period of their life to participate in our study. In addition, we very much appreciate the support of staff and volunteers of the cancer center.

Funding

This work was supported by a post PhD research fellowship of the Canadian Cancer Society/National Cancer Institute of Canada to Dr. M. Puts. The study was supported by the Solidage McGill University/Université de Montreal Research Group on Frailty and Aging and the McGill Dr. Joseph Kaufman Chair in Geriatric Medicine. The funding sources had no involvement in the study.

There was no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Suite 130, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5T 1P8

    Martine T. E. Puts

  2. Solidage Research Group on Frailty and Aging, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Martine T. E. Puts, Johanne Monette, Veronique Girre, Michèle Monette & Howard Bergman

  3. Division of Geriatric Medicine, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Johanne Monette & Howard Bergman

  4. Department of Oncology-Hematology, Centre Hospitalier Departemental, La Roche sur Yon, France

    Veronique Girre

  5. Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Christina Wolfson

  6. Department of Oncology, Segal Cancer Center, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Johanne Monette, Gerald Batist & Howard Bergman

Authors
  1. Martine T. E. Puts
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  2. Johanne Monette
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  3. Veronique Girre
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  5. Michèle Monette
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  6. Gerald Batist
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  7. Howard Bergman
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Correspondence to Martine T. E. Puts.

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Puts, M.T.E., Monette, J., Girre, V. et al. The fall rate of older community-dwelling cancer patients. Support Care Cancer 21, 775–783 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-012-1579-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-012-1579-4

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