Breast cancer in older people

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women, and its incidence increases with age. The average age at diagnosis is 61 years, and the majority of deaths occurs after the age of 65 years. Optimal approach to elderly women with breast cancer is still a major challenge. Elderly patients with cancer should have at least a brief geriatric assessment to detect potentially treatable problems not always adequately evaluated by the oncologists. Therapeutic nihilism should be avoided and effective treatment provided, unless there are compelling reasons against it.

Elderly cancer patients represent a major public health issue. Indeed, the number of elderly patients living with cancer has increased in the last years, due to a longer life expectancy and to the possibility to diagnose cancer early and to treat it accordingly. It has been extensively reported that breast cancer-related mortality increases with age, regardless of disease stage 1 , 2. Overall survival is reduced in patients who are diagnosed when over 55, even when adjusting life expectancy for comorbidities 3 , 4. Optimal treatment of this patient group remains unclear, since elderly patients are often excluded from clinical trials. Despite the importance of the issue, there is little solid evidence regarding the management and treatment protocols for this specific group of patients.

Breast cancer is a disease of aging. The median age of breast cancer is 62 and around one quarter are women between ages , according to the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results registry. And as the population continues to age, projections estimate invasive breast cancer cases will double by Most of the cases will be in women ages

Marie, Ontario, Canada. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and one in ten patients affected are over age However, this age group is mostly excluded from clinical trials and data to inform their care is sparse. Medical records of all patients aged 80 years-old and older diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in a single center over a six-year period were retrospectively reviewed. A cohort of patients aged 65 to 75 treated for breast cancer at the same center during the same period was also reviewed for comparison.