Frailty based on the memorial Sloan Kettering Frailty Index is associated with surgical decision making, clinical trial participation, and overall survival among older women with ovarian cancer.

To determine whether the Memorial Sloan Kettering Frailty Index (MSK-FI) is associated with decision-making in older women surgically treated for advanced-stage ovarian cancer. We retrospectively applied the MSK-FI to women ≥70 years with newly diagnosed advanced-stage ovarian cancer surgically treated at our institution from 01/2001–05/2017. MSK-FI components, including 10 comorbidities and functional assessment, were extracted from medical records. The MSK-FI ranges from 0 to 11, with higher scores indicating greater frailty. The primary outcome was the association between frailty and rate of primary debulking surgery (PDS), for which a multivariable logistic regression was used, adjusted for stage and histology. We identified 430 women treated with PDS (n = 231, 54%) or neoadjuvant chemotherapy/interval debulking (n = 199, 46%) with complete data. MSK-FI score distribution was: "0", 95 patients (22%); "1", 172 (40%); "2", 89 (21%); and "3+", 74 (17%). More-frail patients were less likely to have undergone PDS (OR for a unit increase of MSK-FI: 0.64; 95%CI, 0.53–0.77; p < 0.0001). Grade 3+ complications and unintended intensive care admission occurred in 40 (9%) and 38 (9%) women, respectively, but were not associated with frailty (OR 1.21; 95%CI, 0.96–1.52; p = 0.11). More-frail patients were more likely to delay postoperative chemotherapy (non-linear association p = 0.009) and less likely to enroll in research (OR 0.84; 95%CI, 0.70–1.00; p = 0.049). Greater frailty was associated with poorer overall survival (HR 1.16; 95%CI, 1.05–1.30; p = 0.005). Frailty, as calculated by the MSK-FI, is strongly associated with treatment approach in older women with advanced ovarian cancer, suggesting objective or subjective correlates of the MSK-FI influence decision-making. • Higher MSK-FI score was associated with forgoing primary debulking surgery. • Higher MSK-FI score was associated with delays in chemotherapy and worse overall survival. • Major complications or unintended intensive care unit admission were not associated with frailty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]