title: Treating advanced breast cancer in the older woman.
abstract: As half of all breast cancers occur in patients beyond the age of 65 and a quarter beyond the age of 75, a significant number of patients with metastatic breast cancer are elderly. New hormonal therapies, such as aromatase inhibitors, appear to have favorably improved the survival of these patients. Side effects such as osteoporosis or cognitive issues appear manageable. Information specific to elderly patients has recently emerged in the field of chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer. This article reviews data on anthracyclines, taxanes, capecitabine (Xeloda), gemcitabine (Gemzar), trastuzumab (Herceptin), and bevacizumab (Avastin). For most patients in this setting, sequential single-agent chemotherapy appears at this time to be the preferred course of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA. extermann@moffitt.usf.edu
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Extermann
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins