Breast cancer in aging women. A population-based study of contrasts in stage, surgery, and survival.

Over 43% of the newly diagnosed breast cancers in the US occur in women 65 years or older. Yet little attention is devoted to the age-associated aspects of this malignancy. This study uses data on more than 125,000 women diagnosed from 1973 to 1984 to examine the influence of advancing age on breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program provides information on disease stage, surgery, histologic type, and survival time to compare and contrast women in all age groups. Women who present initially with distant disease are more likely to be elderly. Certain surgical procedures are used less frequently for older women. No unusual age variations in histologic features are noted. Elderly women do as well as younger patients in survival time for localized and regional stages of breast cancer; for distant disease, they fare worse. Results emphasize the need to focus on elderly women for screening, early detection, diagnostic evaluation, and therapy.