Older women affected by breast cancer have difficulty in accomplishing day to day activities

Cynthia Owusu, MD, MS, of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, and her colleagues looked to see if there are racial differences in functional disability among older women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. The researchers enrolled 190 women aged 65 years or older at the time of diagnosis, and they found that 39 percent of them experienced functional disability. African-American women were four times as likely to have functional disability compared with Non-Hispanic White women. This racial difference in functional status disappeared when the researchers took into account African-American participants' lower household income and educational status and their higher prevalence of chronic medical conditions.
"These findings have implications for cancer treatment decision-making since optimum functional status is a key factor considered in treatment selection. At-risk groups for functional disability, such as older African-Americans, may be less likely to tolerate standard treatment and therefore interventions ought to be developed to improve their physical function," said Dr. Owusu. "Moreover, such individuals may be more likely to experience persistent functional decline after treatment, further worsening their survival outcomes," she added.
Source-Eurekalert