title: Locally advanced breast cancer in elderly patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is more common in the elderly population, there is little data on the clinical characteristics and survival of these patients. The aim of the present study was to compare different factors affecting survival in elderly patients with LABC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis was carried out on a cohort of 80 patients aged 70 to 96 years, diagnosed with LABC defined as T3 N1, T4 N0, any N2 or N3, and M0. The prognostic impact of selected clinical parameters including age, comorbidities, tumour grade, HER2 status, tumour stage, local therapies, and systemic treatments was studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median age of the patients was 79 years. The majority (n=53; 66%) had at least one significant comorbidity according to the Charlson score evaluation. The median overall survival was 50.6 months. As expected, hormonal therapy was the dominant mode of systemic treatment, but 24% also received at least one line of chemotherapy. Local therapies including surgery and/or radiotherapy were applied in 58% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diagnosis of LABC in the elderly is associated with poor prognosis. Age and serious comorbidities were negative prognostic factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hornova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zbynek
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bortlicek
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Majkova
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jitka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abrahamova
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Drahomira
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kordikova
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zuzana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Donatova
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kupec
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ludmila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boublikova
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dvorak
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Radek
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zapletal
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Buchler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Charlson score; breast cancer; elderly; retrospective analysis; survival