Although women over 65 make up more than half of women diagnosed with breast cancer, the effects of treatment on this group have not been widely studied.

Studies show older women are less likely than younger women to receive common adjuvant (post-surgical) therapies like hormonal treatments or radiation therapy following surgery.

Some researchers have argued that radiation therapy is not necessary in women over 65 who have surgery and take tamoxifen, especially because these women may face other life-threatening conditions. Others have argued that these women have less aggressive cancers and may not benefit from radiation because of the burden of travel, costs or other medical conditions.

Women under age 65 often receive more aggressive treatment when diagnosed with breast cancer. Upon diagnosis of early breast cancer, a woman may have breast conserving therapy (also called lumpectomy), a surgery in which the tumor is removed as well as a small portion of the tissue surrounding the tumor. Others receive mastectomy, the removal of the entire breast. In most cases, breast conserving surgery is followed by radiation, or the use of high-energy from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, and other sources to kill breast cancer cells and shrink tumors.

Women with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancers, or cancers that may grow faster in the presence of the hormone estrogen, often conclude their treatment by taking five years of hormonal therapy. At the time of this study, the standard treatment was tamoxifen (brand name: Nolvadex), a medicine that blocks the growth of hormone sensitive breast cancers by binding to estrogen receptors on the outside of cancer cells.


Posted by: Jessica    Source

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