FRAILTY AS A PREDICTOR OF COMPLICATIONS IN ELDERLY PATIENTS UNDERGOING ELECTIVE ONCOLOGICAL SURGERY: A REVIEW OF SCREENING AND PREOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT
TL;DR
It is concluded that systematic frailty screening, combined with coordinated multiprofessional management, should be incorporated as routine practice in the surgical planning of older cancer patients.
Abstract
Frailty has become a relevant risk factor among older adults undergoing elective oncological surgery, as it reduces physiological reserve and increases vulnerability to postoperative complications. However, knowledge on screening instruments and multiprofessional preoperative management strategies remains scattered across the literature. This study aimed to analyze, through an integrative review, the scientific evidence indicating frailty as a predictor of complications in this population, as well as to identify the screening tools and multiprofessional care strategies employed. Searches were carried out in PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, Cochrane Library, SciELO, and the Virtual Health Library, using DeCS/MeSH descriptors combined through Boolean operators, considering studies published between 2016 and 2026. Results consistently confirmed frailty as a predictor of complications in surgeries. Instruments such as the Clinical Frailty Scale and the G8 proved effective for initial screening, directing vulnerable patients toward comprehensive geriatric assessment. Preoperative management delivered by coordinated, rather than merely juxtaposed, multiprofessional teams was associated with fewer complications and shorter hospital stay. It is concluded that systematic frailty screening, combined with coordinated multiprofessional management, should be incorporated as routine practice in the surgical planning of older cancer patients.