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Management of Operable Invasive Breast Cancer in Women Over the Age of 70: Long-Term Results of a Large-Scale Single-Institution Experience

  • Breast Oncology
  • Published:
Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The treatment of choice for elderly women with breast cancer remains controversial. This retrospective analysis of a cohort from a single institution was designed to evaluate whether such patients are really undertreated because of their age and to reappraise their usual management.

Methods

The characteristics of 538 patients aged ≥ 70 years with operable breast cancer, treated between 1995 and 1999, were retrospectively analyzed comparing patients aged 70 to 75 years (group I, n = 288), 75 to 80 years (group II, n = 156), and ≥ 80 years (group III, n = 94). Cause-specific survival, distant recurrence-free interval, and local control were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log rank test. Multivariate analysis used Cox regression.

Results

In group III, tumors were more frequently T2 than T1 (P < 0.0001) and estrogen receptor negative (P = 0.045) than in groups I and II. Surgery was performed in 94.6% of patients, breast-conserving in 72.1% (62% in group III; P = 0.0015) with axillary dissection in 89.2% (77% in group III; P = 0.0015); 100% received radiotherapy after lumpectomy (hypofractionated in 63% of group III; P < 0.0001). Adjuvant hormone therapy and chemotherapy were administered to 57 and 3.7% of patients, respectively. At 7 years, no difference in the three groups was observed for cause-specific survival (91% for group I, 89% for group II, 86% for group III) distant recurrence-free interval, and local control (>90%).

Conclusions

Elderly patients with operable breast cancer who are completely and correctly treated with realistic treatment options that are based on surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy have a similar chance of being cured as younger patients.

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Acknowledgment

We thank Chantal Gautier for her help in data management.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Institut Curie, Paris, France

    Fatima Laki MD & Remy J. Salmon MD

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris, France

    Youlia M. Kirova MD & Francois Campana MD

  3. Department of Statistics, Institut Curie, Paris, France

    Alexia Savignoni MD & Bernard Asselain MD, PhD

  4. Department of Medical Information, Institut Curie, Paris, France

    Beatrice Levu MD

  5. Department of Anaesthesiology, Institut Curie, Paris, France

    Marc Estève MD

  6. Department of Pathology, Institut Curie, Paris, France

    Brigitte Sigal-Zafrani MD

  7. Department of Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris, France

    Thierry Dorval MD

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  1. Fatima Laki MD
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  2. Youlia M. Kirova MD
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  3. Alexia Savignoni MD
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  4. Francois Campana MD
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  5. Beatrice Levu MD
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  10. Remy J. Salmon MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fatima Laki MD.

Additional information

This study was conducted for the Institut Curie Breast Cancer Study Group.

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Laki, F., Kirova, Y.M., Savignoni, A. et al. Management of Operable Invasive Breast Cancer in Women Over the Age of 70: Long-Term Results of a Large-Scale Single-Institution Experience. Ann Surg Oncol 17, 1530–1538 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-010-0967-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-010-0967-6

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