Severe functional limitation due to pain & emotional distress and subsequent receipt of prescription medications among older adults with cancer
Loss of functional independence is a major concern among older adults with multiple chronic diseases including cancer. Certain cancer types and subsequent treatment can cause or worsen pain and emotional distress, leading to functional limitation, which may or may not improve with cancer treatment. Previous studies using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) to examine patterns of pain and emotional distress among older adults have shown that pain and emotional distress were notable concerns for this population. Despite its importance, patterns of functional limitation due to pain or emotional distress and the co-occurrence of pain and emotional distress is underreported in older adults with cancer. Prior studies focused on older adults and the development of functional limitation due to pain but were not cancer-specific. To better target symptom management, we need to understand the extent to which the co-occurrence of pain and emotional distress limit function among older adults with cancer and to identify the predictors of severe functional limitation.
Presley CJ, Canavan M, Wang SY, et al. Severe functional limitation due to pain & emotional distress and subsequent receipt of prescription medications among older adults with cancer. J Geriatr Oncol. 2020;11(6):960-968.
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