Breast cancer in old age. Experience with a multimodal treatment

The authors report their experience of multimodal treatment (surgery, chemo and/or hormonotherapy, radiotherapy) of breast cancer in 59 patients more than 70 years old. Patients with primary operable breast cancer underwent surgical treatment, followed by chemo or hormonal therapy whenever axillary nodes proved positive, and by radiotherapy on the operative field in case the operation couldn't be considered oncologically radical. Postoperative mortality was absent. The 5 years actuarial survival rate of patients who underwent surgery was 90%. All patients of stage I proved disease-free within 5 years, 77% of stage II, 80% of stage III. In conclusion, as clinical course and disease evolution of elderly patients are similar to those of younger women, it seems after our experience, justified a multimodal management of the disease, observing biological age of the patient, more than anagraphical one.