Frailty in older Turkish cancer patients undergoing post-surgical adjuvant chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: Understanding the frailty levels of older patients undergoing surgery and chemotherapy will contribute to timely and reliable care practices and improve care outcomes. AIMS: To determine the frailty of cancer patients who received chemotherapy treatment after surgery. METHODS: This descriptive study included 192 Turkish patients aged over 60 years who received chemotherapy after surgery for cancer. Data were collected using a patient survey and the Edmonton Frailty Scale. RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 66.3±5.3 years. Around 40% (40.6%) of the sample were diagnosed with breast cancer. The Edmonton Frailty Scale score of the group was 6.6 (SD±3.7). A quarter of the sample (22.9%) were at risk of frailty. Frailty levels were higher in older individuals with gastrointestinal cancers and other cancer groups compared with patients with breast cancer (p<0.001); patients with additional chronic diseases other than cancer (p=0.004); and in those with a history of falling and hospitalisation in the past year (p