Early breast cancer in the older woman.

Care of the older woman with early breast cancer is of particular importance to both the oncologist and geriatrician because of both the prevalence of the disease in this population as well as the subtleties necessary in individualizing treatment decisions. In general, older women are able to tolerate many of the same modalities of treatment for early breast cancer as younger women, but special consideration must be given to future life expectancy, comorbidities, and other elements that might be identified using a CGA. Both short-term and long-term side effects of cancer therapies can be clinically important in the older woman, and appropriate screening and support for these toxicities are necessary.