Functional Impairment Linked to Higher Mortality Among Older Adults With Hematologic Malignancies

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society determined older adults with hematologic malignancies who need help with at least one basic or crucial daily living activity are at a higher risk for mortality than those requiring no assistance, reports Healio . Generally, 26.7 percent of 464 participants reported at least one dependency for instrumental activities of daily living (iADLs), while 11.4 percent listed at least one dependency for basic activities of daily living (ADLs). Subjects with at least one iADL dependency also were more likely to visit emergency departments and have unplanned hospitalizations. Furthermore, those who had an iADL dependency and aggressive cancer also exhibited significantly shorter median survival than those who were iADL independent and had aggressive cancer. "The association was strongest for those with the most advanced blood cancers, suggesting that higher-order functioning is critical to surviving aggressive leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma," noted Harvard Medical School's Clark DuMontier.