TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - Joint pain and falls among women with breast cancer on aromatase inhibitors
JO  - Supportive care in cancer
A1  - Basal, Coby
A1  - Vertosick, Emily
A1  - Gillis, Theresa A.
A1  - Li, Qing
A1  - Bao, Ting
A1  - Vickers, Andrew
A1  - Mao, Jun J.
SP  - 2195
EP  - 2202
VL  - 27
IS  - 6
N2  - PURPOSE: Arthralgia is common among women with breast cancer on adjuvant aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy. Pain is associated with falls in the general population; however, little is known about the relationship between arthralgia and falls among AI users. Our objective was to determine whether joint pain severity and interference predict future falls. <br><br>METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of postmenopausal women with stage I-III estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer who were prescribed a third-generation AI. Arthralgia symptoms were measured at baseline using a modified version of the Brief Pain Inventory. Fall occurrence was obtained at 24-month follow-up. <br><br>RESULTS: Among 667 participants (median age 63 years, interquartile range 57-69 years), 232 (35%, 95% CI 31 to 39%) reported falls 12-24 months after baseline. Among women who fell, 65 (28%) reported seeking medical assistance. After controlling for multiple fall risk factors, we found significant non-linear associations between baseline joint pain severity and risk of falls (p = 0.001). Women with joint pain severity scores ≥ 4 had a more than twofold increase in fall risk compared to those without pain (41% vs. 20%). We observed a similar relationship for pain interference and fall risk (p < 0.001). Fewer than half of participants reported having been asked about falls in the past 12 months by their primary care physician (44%) or oncologist (36%). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Joint pain increases the risk of falls among women with breast cancer on adjuvant AI therapy. Health care providers should evaluate and manage arthralgia symptoms and implement fall-prevention strategies for those who are at increased risk.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0941-4355
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4495-4
ID  - ref1
ER  -