Study: Breast Conserving Surgery Works as Well in Older Women

Breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer works as well in older women as it does in younger patients, according to researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

The researchers recommended that breast conservation therapy, that removes the cancer but preserves as much of the breast as possible, should be the "standard of care" for elderly women with early stage breast cancer.

"Many older patients who qualify for breast conservation therapy still receive either radical mastectomy or minimal surgery without radiation therapy… based largely on patient and physician biases about cancer in older women," the researchers reported in the journal Cancer.

The researchers expressed concern about the long-standing biases that keep many elderly breast cancer patients from being offered the same treatments as younger women. Physicians may wrongly speculate that older women do not have the cosmetic concerns of younger women or may not offer older women additional therapy such as radiation after their surgery, the researchers said.

Researchers reviewed the cases of 184 women age 65 and older who had breast conservation therapy at M.D. Anderson between 1970 and 1994. The women had their cancer plus some surrounding tissue removed and also had follow up radiation. Some women in the study also received chemotherapy.

More than 80 percent of the patients were disease-free for at least 5 years after initial treatment and 62 percent remained healthy for at least 10 years. At the end of the study, 61 percent of the women were still living and 30 percent had died of something other than breast cancer, report the researchers.

"These outcomes are similar to those found in similarly treated groups of younger women," said the researchers, who stressed that breast cancer treatment decisions need to be made on a case-by-case basis, regardless of the patient's age.

"Older women have the same rights as their younger counterparts to be informed fully about all available treatment options," the researchers concluded.

Other Sources: Cancer