Impact of age in health-related quality of life in older adults with cancer

Ano: 2021 | Volume: 15 | Número: Não se aplica

Autores: Coeli Regina Carneiro Ximenesa; Anke Bergmannb; Jurema Telles de Oliveira Limaª; Arlene Santos Cavalcantiª; Murilo Carlos Amorim de Brittoª; Maria Julia Gonçalves Melloª; Luiz Claudio Santos Thulerb

Palavras-chave: age distribution; older adults; neoplasms; quality of life.

Resumo Inglês:

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of age in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older adults with cancer.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 608 older adults diagnosed with cancer. Age groups were considered an independent variable. For the analysis of HRQoL, the mean scores of age groups were compared by analysis of variance and the Scheffé comparison test. For measuring the association between age and HRQoL, we used simple and multiple linear regression analyses.
RESULTS: Cognitive function showed the highest scores (average 87.94 ± 26.87), while physical function showed the lowest ones (68.04 ± 28.63). The highest symptom score was observed for financial difficulties (34.21 ± 39.06), followed by pain (29.47 ± 33.92) and insomnia (28.51 ± 37.03). After adjustment, we observed a decrease in physical function (p = 0.028) and an improvement in emotional function (p = 0.003) with increasing age.
CONCLUSIONS: In older patients with cancer, age negatively impacted physical function and positively impacted emotional function.