Strategies for the Management of Early-Stage Breast Cancer in Older Women.

Older patients with breast cancer (aged ≥65 years) are often undertreated with both locoregional and systemic therapies and have been shown to have higher breast cancer-specific mortality. These patients are also excluded from most clinical trials; therefore, treatment recommendations are extrapolated from younger populations. The data that do exist, however, show that older patients usually tolerate and respond well to conventional treatments. When selecting treatments for breast cancer, age should not be the chief consideration; comorbidities and functional status are also important, as is life expectancy. For patients with an estimated survival of less than 5 years, aggressive treatment may be discouraged; however, if the estimated survival is 5 years or more, treatment according to recurrence risk is recommended. In the curative setting, undertreatment should be avoided.