Incidence of falls and fall-related injuries and their predictive factors in frail older persons with cancer: a multicenter study

Background: Falls and fall-related injuries are a major public health problem. Data on falls in older persons with cancer is limited and robust data on falls within those with a frailty profile are missing. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence and predictive factors for falls and fall-related injuries in frail older persons with cancer. Methods: : This study is a secondary data analysis from data previously collected in a large prospective multicenter observational cohort study in older persons with cancer in 22 Belgian hospitals (November 2012-February 2015). Patients ≥70 years with a malignant tumor and a frailty profile based on an abnormal G8 score were included upon treatment decision and evaluated with a Geriatric Assessment (GA). At follow-up, data on falls and fall-related injuries were documented. Results: : At baseline 2141 (37.2%) of 5759 included patients reported at least one fall in the past 12 months, 1427 patients (66.7%) sustained an injury. Fall-related data of 3681 patients were available at follow-up and at least one fall was reported by 769 patients (20.9%) at follow-up, of whom 289 (37.6%) fell more than once and a fall-related injury was reported by 484 patients (62.9%). Fear of falling was reported in 47.4% of the patients at baseline and in 55.6% of the patients at follow-up. In multivariable analysis, gender and falls history in the past 12 months were predictive factors for both falls and fall-related injuries at follow-up. Other predictive factors for falls, were risk for depression, cognitive decline, dependency in activities of daily living, fear of falling, and use of professional home care. Conclusion: Given the high number of falls and fall-related injuries and high prevalence of fear of falling, multifactorial falls risk assessment and management programs should be integrated in the care of frail older persons with cancer. Trial registration: B322201215495