An evaluation of the prognosis of breast cancer in patients older than 70 years: A report of Breast Cancer Registry of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Breast cancer is one of the most common invasive cancers being the leading cause of mortality among women all around the world. Although the increasing trend of the geriatric population with cancer is indicative of good advances in cancer early detection and treatment, since most studies have been conducted on  younger age group, it can be said that the principles of treatment in geriatric patients remains unclear due to the vagueness of prognostic factors in this age group.

This study was conducted using the data obtained from Shiraz Breast Cancer Registry, the largest breast cancer registry in Iran. The study population included women aged 70 years and over who had breast cancer. Prognostic factors, treatment modalities, and patients’ survival rate were reviewed and investigated.

427 patients were included in this study. The mean age of patients was 75 years old +/- 5.2yrs. Invasive ductal carcinoma  (73.3%),  Grade 2 tumor (56.9 %), and size 2-5cm (50.6%) were the most common histopathological type, respectively. 81.9% of the patients were positive for estrogen receptor. 47.5% of the patients underwent quadrantectomy. 50.8% received adjuvant chemotherapy and 41.1% received adjuvant radiotherapy. The overall survival rate for women for more than 5 years (60 months) was 68% and disease-free survival rate for more than 5 years was 51%.

According to ISGO recommendation to improve breast cancer survival in the elderly, in addition to the need for more critical reappraisal in breast cancer management in this age group by clinicians, the involvement of geriatricians is needed to appraise the patients’ general condition in this age group in order to meet the treatment guidelines requirements.