Objective: New or worsening disability can develop in elderly patients in just 1 week of hospitalization for acute illness. Elderly patients with cancer, particularly those with cancer cachexia, are vulnerable to disability. This study aimed to explore the impact of hospitalization and cachexia on physical activity (PA) in elderly patients during chemotherapy.
Methods: We prospectively enrolled 18 patients aged ≥70 years with newly-diagnosed, advanced non-small-cell lung cancer scheduled to initiate first-line chemotherapy. PA was measured using an accelerometer (Lifecorder®, Suzuken Co., Ltd., Japan). Mean daily steps at baseline, during hospitalization, and subsequent weeks (1st, 2nd, and 3rd week after discharge) were compared.
Results: A total of 30 hospitalizations for chemotherapy were evaluated in 18 patients with a median age of 74.5 years. The median number of baseline daily steps was 3756. Fifteen cases (50%) showed fewer daily steps during hospitalization and no recovery to baseline level during the 1st week after discharge. Long hospitalizations (≥8 days) and the presence of cachexia were associated with persistent physical inactivity. One patient developed disability within 30 days after hospitalization.
Conclusions: Physical inactivity was frequently seen after hospitalization for chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced lung cancer. Longer in-hospital days and the presence of cancer cachexia caused slow recovery from physical inactivity. Individualized hospitalization planning based on careful consideration of patient age and the presence of cancer cachexia may be needed to prevent physical inactivity and disability.
Keywords: Cancer cachexia; chemotherapy; elderly; lung cancer; physical activity.