Breast-conserving therapy for stage I-II breast cancer in elderly women.
OBJECTIVE
To assess breast-conserving therapy results in elderly patients with early-stage breast cancer (clinical Stage I-II).


METHODS
Between 1979 and 1998, 196 women (200 treated breasts) aged > or =70 years (median age, 72.5 years) were treated with breast-conserving therapy (lumpectomy or quadrantectomy with axillary lymph node dissection and radiotherapy). Pathologic axillary node involvement was found in 51 patients (28%). Two-thirds of patients received tamoxifen, and 16% received chemotherapy.


RESULTS
At a median follow-up of 59 months, 3 patients (1.5%) had developed local recurrence and 20 (10.2%) distant metastases. The overall survival rate was 81% and 62% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. The corresponding disease-specific survival rates were 92% and 88%. Axillary nodal involvement was the only statistically significant risk factor for the development of metastases (p = 0.0035). Arm mobility impairment and arm lymphedema each occurred in 5 patients. In another 5 patients, a thromboembolic event occurred during tamoxifen treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Elderly women tolerate breast-conserving therapy, including radiotherapy, well and have excellent rates of locoregional control and disease-specific survival.
Cutuli
Bruno
B
Department of Radiation Oncology, Polyclinique de Courlancy, 38 rue de Courlancy, Reims 51100, France. b.cutuli@wanadoo.fr
Aristei
Cynthia
C
Martin
Caroline
C
Perrucci
Elisabetta
E
Latini
Paolo
P
Quetin
Philippe
P
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate