Table 4.
Common characteristics associated with functional decline during systemic cancer treatment (N=36 studies that examined functional decline).
| Characteristic | Total no. of studies examining characteristic and functional decline | No. of studies reporting an association with functional decline | No. of studies reporting no association | No. of studies including characteristic as a covariate without reporting association | Characteristic variable detailsa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 25 | Older age: 71, 2, 38, 39, 42, 47, 51 Younger age: 158 |
1222, 24, 26, 28–31, 35, 45, 49, 52, 59 | 519, 20, 44, 55, 57 | -Categorical age: 65-69 vs 70-74 vs 75-841 25-45 vs 46-7038 <60 vs ≥6051 <65 vs ≥6558 -Continuous age42 -Age details not specified2,39,47 |
| Worse performance status | 11 | 435, 39, 52, 60 | 620, 26, 29–31, 49 | 119 | -ECOG PS: 0-1 vs 2-460 -Continuous KPS score39 -Change in ECOG/WHO PS35,52 |
| Progressive disease status | 8 | 42, 31, 35, 60 | 419, 42, 49, 60 | -Refractory/progressive disease at treatment completion vs complete remission2 -Disease progression/relapse vs new diagnosis31 -Tumor response: Partial/complete response vs progressive/stable disease35 -Disease progression: Yes vs no60 |
|
| Pain | 7 | 424, 35, 39, 45 | 326, 31, 47 | -Back pain: Yes vs no24 -EORTC QLQ-C30 pain: Quite a bit/very much vs not at all/a little35 -Quality of Life-Cancer pain score39 -Pain-O-Meter worst pain intensity score45 |
|
| Anemia | 7 | 41, 20, 24, 47 | 326, 30, 38 | -Categorical hemoglobin level: 7.3-10.9, 11.0-12.9, 13.0-13.9, 14.0-15.61 -Continuous hemoglobin level24 -Hemoglobin change ≥1 g/dl20 -Anemia CTCAE grade 0-2 vs 3-447 |
|
| Worse nutritional status | 6 | 42, 31–33 | 230, 49 | -Sarcopenia: Severe (low muscle mass, slow gait speed, and low handgrip strength) vs none2 -Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form score: ≤11 vs >1131 -Cancer cachexia: Unintentional weight loss >5% in last 6 mos (or >2% if BMI <20 kg/m2) or presence of muscle depletion vs no cachexia32,33 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CTCAE, Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; EORTC QLQ-C30, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30; dl, deciliter; g, gram; kg, kilogram; KPS, Karnofsky Performance Status; m, meter; mos, months; PS, performance status; vs, versus; WHO, World Health Organization.
a
Characteristic variable details shown for studies that reported an association with functional decline.