title: [Treatment patterns and affecting factors in breast cancer patients over 65-years of age].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore different therapies and affecting factors in breast cancer patients ≥ 65 years old.
  
  
  METHODS
  To retrospectively analyze the clinical characteristics, treatments, comorbidity and survival rate of 126 female breast cancer patients over 65 years old who underwent surgical operation in our hospital from January 2009 to December 2010. To compare and analyze the differences in the treatment patterns, and find out the affecting factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and twenty-six cases were included in this retrospective study, and they were divided into two groups according to age: 65-74 years old group (71 cases) and >74 years group (55 cases). Most patients in the two groups received modified radical mastectomy (84.5% and 89.1%); 73.2% and 54.5% of patients received adjuvant chemotherapy in the two groups, respectively. 67.6% and 61.8% of the patients had adjuvant endocrine therapy respectively. 19.7% and 7.3% of the patients received radiotherapy, respectively. Chemotherapy in elderly breast cancer patients was correlated with age, pathological types, progesterone receptor (PR) status and comorbidity. Radiotherapy in elderly breast cancer patients was related to age, surgical patterns, TNM stage and lymph node status. Multivariate analysis showed that age, pathological types, PR expression and comorbidity were independent factors affecting choice of chemotherapy in elderly breast cancer patients (P < 0.05 for all). Age and surgical patterns were independent factors affecting choice of radiotherapy (P < 0.05 for all). The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate in these patients were 91.3% and 92.0%, respectively. Furthermore, endocrine therapy was related to 3-year DFS rate (P = 0.038) and age was correlated with 3-year OS rate (P = 0.037) in these elderly patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breast cancer in the elderly patients receive similar surgery and endocrine therapy, but the elderly patients are less likely to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy, due to age, PR expression, pathological types, surgical patterns and comorbidity. Only age contributes to the lower 3-year overall survival rate in >74-year old patients.
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Breast Health Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Breast Health Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Xiaosong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Breast Health Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Weiqi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Breast Health Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Junjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Breast Health Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. Shanghai 200025, China. Email: kwshen@medmail.com.cn.
authors.forename: Kunwei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D015411:Mastectomy, Modified Radical; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D011980:Receptors, Progesterone