Priority of the basic and instrumental activities of daily living in older patients with cancer prescribed rehabilitation: a cross-sectional survey

Background There is no information on whether vulnerable older patients with cancer consider basic activities of daily living (BADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) important outcomes. Our survey aimed to investigate the priority of BADL and IADL in outcomes among vulnerable older patients with cancer. Methods This was a single-center survey in a Japanese cancer center. Eligible patients were ≥ 65 years of age and were prescribed in-hospital rehabilitation while under cancer treatment. Using original self-administered ranking questionnaires, patients were asked to rank outcomes and subdomain of BADL and IADL. High-priority domains were defined as the highest, second-highest, and third-highest priority domains in individuals. Results A total of 169 patients were analyzed. The mean age was 74.0 years (standard deviation, 5.1 years) and the number of males was 107 (63%). The order of ranking of high-priority outcomes was BADL and IADL ( n = 155), cognitive function ( n = 91), mental function ( n = 82), nutrition ( n = 61), social function ( n = 51), comorbidity ( n = 39), and life span ( n = 28). The top three high-priority independence subdomains of BADL and IADL were toilet use ( n = 140), feeding ( n = 134), and mobility ( n = 69) among the BADL and shopping ( n = 93), food preparation ( n = 88), and ability to handle finances ( n = 85) among the IADL. Conclusions BADL and IADL can be considered the most important health outcomes in clinical trials and in practice among older patients with cancer and physical vulnerabilities.