Does primary breast cancer in older women (≥80 years) have unfavorable histological characteristics?
BACKGROUND
Although the majority of breast cancer patients are older than 65 years, limited data exist regarding the pathological features in very elderly patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the histological characteristics of breast cancer in women aged over 80 years.


METHODS
The histological data were reviewed for 137 women aged 80 years and older who were diagnosed with primary breast carcinoma at a university clinic during the period 1990-2005.


RESULTS
Although it is believed that older women have more advanced tumor, the majority of the tumors were assessed as stage I (35%) and II (32.9%). Mucinous, papillary, medullary, tubular, and cribriform histological subtypes have been demonstrated often in this age group (16.8%). In 49.7 and 70.6% of cases, respectively, there were no regional lymph node metastases and no distant metastases. The frequency of ER-positive (72%) and PR-positive (56%) tumors in these patients is high.


CONCLUSIONS
An accurate prognostic evaluation at the time of initial diagnosis is of high importance for older patients, since this could avoid unnecessary and risky therapies. As an increasing number of women ≥80 years old may be diagnosed with breast cancer in the coming years, treatment in this specific age group should be individualized to the patient and tumor factors.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
Paraskevi
P
Chatzidaki
Chrysovalantis
C
Mellos
Volker
V
Briese
Ioannis
I
Mylonas
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone