Frailty in the Elderly Oncological and Oncohematological Patient.

The Italian population is progressively aging, and cancer incidence increases with age. Older patients are at higher risk of frailty, a condition associated with adverse outcomes such as disability, falls, hospitalization, and mortality. Key indicators of frailty include reduced balance, impaired physical activity, cognitive decline, and particularly sarcopenia, defined as the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. After age 60, muscle mass decreases by 1.4-2.5% annually, while muscle strength declines by 15% between ages 60-70 and by up to 30% per decade thereafter. Sarcopenia increases the risk of falls, fractures, hospitalization, and non-cancer-related death. In cancer patients, its prevalence ranges from 11% to 74% and is associated with poorer survival outcomes in both early and advanced disease stages.In clinical oncology practice, several tools are available to assess frailty, identify vulnerable patients, and personalize care, treatment, and supportive interventions.

NCT Number	NCT07624370
Lead Sponsor	Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Ovest Milanese, Ospedale di Legnano
Conditions	Sarcopenia in Elderly, Frailty/Sarcopenia, Oncological Patients, Hematologic Disease
Enrollment	160 participants
Start Date	2025-03-21
Primary Completion	2026-04-09 (estimated)
Study Completion	2028-12-13 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-06-08