“Young-Old”, “Old-Old”, “Oldest-old” and Breast Cancer: Cancer Surrender Prohibited. Our Challenge for 87 Patients

Abstract

Background: What happens when the biological age is not the same as the chronological age?…..over 70 patients with breast cancer may not be treated properly. Comorbidity, limited mobility, functional dependence, cognitive functions and aspects, socio-economic factors are variables that weight like boulders on the choice to be made. The risk of breast cancer, however, increases with age, but this group of patients continues to be underrepresented in clinical trials. This obliges us to conduct studies that demonstrate how older women can tolerate therapy in the same way as young women and how they should be offered treatments that give the best possible results. Breast cancer management in elderly patients is a challenge. We have accepted it: To evaluate and compare clinical and pathological variables, treatment and survival outcomes in older women of age of 70 or more arrived in Medical Oncology Unit - University Hospital – Messina, from January 2014 to June 2018. Methods: We worked on our database and extrapolated: how many female patients were hospitalized during this period; how "elderly" they were considered; how many with histologically ascertained diagnosis of BC; how much "older" they were and diagnosed with BC. Results: 87 "older" with ascertained diagnosis, histologically, of BC treated at our center from January 2014 to June 2018. In December 2019, 26% they had died from cancer, 31% from other causes, 5% had developed a T contralateral and the remaining 38% were living and follow up continued. Conclusion: The T stage rather than age has proven to be a predictive factor main (23 patients who died from T were younger compared to the others but with advanced disease). In "early" breast cancer, the comorbidities (heart disease and diabetes) played an important role.