The dynamic nature of frailty in metastatic spine disease patients.
Frailty in metastatic spine disease patients is a dynamic condition, with a rapid decline early in the disease. Identifying and addressing factors like anemia, electrolyte imbalances, and malnutrition could be a crucial intervention point to maintain or reverse frailty and imp...
This retrospective study evaluated frailty in 465 metastatic spine disease patients at multiple time points using a modified Metastatic Spinal Tumor Frailty Index. The findings showed that frailty changed dynamically, with a significant decline early in the disease process. Factors like anemia, electrolyte abnormalities, and malnutrition contributed to this rapid progression. Patients with higher frailty scores at metastatic diagnosis had worse 2-year survival outcomes. The study highlights the need for further research to identify the most dynamic and modifiable frailty measures to develop targeted interventions and improve outcomes for this patient population.