Hand grip strength, short physical performance battery, and gait speed: key tools for function in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

This study aimed to determine which performance assessment tools included in Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) are the most sensitive for the functional approach in the initial evaluation and during the therapy of old adults diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). We prospectively recruited 31 patients aged 70 years or older presenting for an initial consultation in the Hematology Clinic of a tertiary hospital. We implemented an updated physical performance evaluation as part of CGA at baseline and during treatment. Baseline characteristics of the sample were compared according to age, Geriatric 8 (G8), frailty, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and sarcopenia measured by hand grip strength (HGS). Functional changes were monitored during the treatment period using HGS, gait speed (GS) and SPPB. The mean age was 79.0 (5.5) years and 51.6% of the sample was frail; 65,5% were treated with standard chemotherapy and 35,5% with a therapeutic regimen with attenuated doses. All the assessment tools included in CGA found functional differences at baseline when the sample was stratified and compared according to frailty, sarcopenia, and SPPB, but not according to G8 score and age. Only SPPB was able to detect functional differences between groups stratified by age at baseline. GS was the only score that identified clinically significant functional changes during the treatment. In conclusion, HGS and SPPB are appropriate performance scores to complete the functional approach in the initial hematologic evaluation, and GS is a promising option to detect functional decline during therapy in old adults with DLBCL.