Treatment of breast cancer in women older than 70 years.

Do age, associated diseases, general state, or the stage of tumor determine the operability of breast cancer in the elderly? Risk factors are studied on the basis of data on 465 patients over 70 years of age who had breast cancer surgery between 1977 and 1986. Operative mortality of patients is analyzed, and according to the results, the outcome of the surgery is mainly influenced by patients' performance status (Karnofsky/Zubrod index) and stage of disease and not by the associated diseases or patient age.