Falls, walking or balance problems, and limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) among older endometrial cancer survivors

• Published in: Supportive care in cancer Vol. 30; no. 7; pp. 6339 - 6351
• Main Authors: Anderson, Chelsea, Olshan, Andrew, Bae-Jump, Victoria, Park, Jihye, Brewster, Wendy, Kent, Erin, Nichols, Hazel B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.07.2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Balance; Cancer; Cancer Survivors; Diagnosis; Endometrial cancer; Endometrial Neoplasms - epidemiology; Epidemiology; Falls; Female; Health risks; Humans; Hygiene; Medicare; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mobility; Nursing; Nursing Research; Older people; Oncology; Original Article; Pain Medicine; Quality of Life; Rehabilitation Medicine; Surveys; Survivor; Survivors; United States - epidemiology; Walking; United States; Cancer survivors; Falls; Functional status; Endometrial cancer
• ISSN: 0941-4355; 1433-7339
• DOI: 10.1007/s00520-022-07087-2

Purpose Functional status deficits are important quality of life concerns for older cancer survivors. We examined the prevalence of falls, walking/balance problems, and limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) among older women with a history of endometrial cancer. Methods Cancer registry records from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program linked with Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (MHOS) data were used to identify endometrial cancer survivors aged ≥ 65 years who completed a survey ≥ 1 year after their cancer diagnosis (N = 3766), as well as an age- and race-matched group of women without a cancer history (N = 3766). We estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) to compare the prevalence of falls, walking or balance problems, and limitations in ADLs (bathing, dressing, eating, getting in/out of chairs, walking, using the toilet) between groups. Results Difficulty with walking or balance was more common among survivors than the noncancer group (43% vs 36%; PR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10–1.27). Fall prevalence was similar between groups (endometrial cancer: 25%; noncancer: 26%; PR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.89–1.08). Nearly half of endometrial cancer survivors (47%) reported at least one ADL limitation, with several activities (getting in/out of a chair, walking, bathing, using the toilet) more often limited among survivors than among women without cancer. Conclusion Functional impairments, especially problems with walking and/or balance, are common among older endometrial cancer survivors. Our results highlight the importance of addressing functional problems during the ongoing survivorship care of women with a history of endometrial cancer, with referral to rehabilitation or other relevant services when indicated.