Utility of the vulnerable elders survey for predicting sixth-month functional decline among older patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer.

Abstract

598 Background: Instruments specifically validated for predicting functional decline in geriatric-oncology are nonexistent. The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES), an instrument predicting functional decline among community dwelling older adults, has never been validated in oncology patients. We sought to examine the ability of the VES to predict functional decline at 6 months among older women with newly diagnosed breast cancer undergoing treatment. Methods: Between April 2008 and September 2009 women ≥ 65 years with incident stage I-IV breast cancer, were enrolled into a prospective cohort study at an academic center. The primary end-point was functional decline at 6 months, (yes/no), defined as ≥ 1-point decrement in Activities of Daily Living/Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL/IADL) scores or admission to a nursing home during the follow-up period. Multiple logistic regression and Receiver Operator Curve (ROC) analyses were used to examine the relation between VES scores at baseline and function...