Press Release: Elderly Cancer Survivors Face Increased Functional Limitations, Study Finds

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Elderly cancer survivors reported a higher number of functional limitations than women who had never been diagnosed with cancer, according to a study in the April 19 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The findings suggest a need for health interventions that will enable elderly cancer survivors to regain or maintain physical function.

Women today have longer life expectancies than previous generations, and the population of elderly people in the United States is growing. Elderly men and women's ability to perform physical daily activities, such as doing housework, climbing stairs, or preparing meals, is an indicator of their overall health and well-being.

Carol Sweeney, Ph.D., of the University of Utah and colleagues studied data from 25,719 women of a median age of 72 years in the Iowa Women's Health Study (IWHS) cohort. These women completed a questionnaire in 1997 about their physical ability to perform daily functions. Examples of questions used included, “Can you walk half a mile?” and “Can you prepare most of your own meals?”