Differences in Breast Cancer Treatment and Survival Between Older and Younger Women

The study aim was to compare breast cancer treatment and survival between older and younger women treated at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center over a 30-year period, 1958-1987. Data were obtained from the Medical Informatics Tumor Registry and were examined by 15-year time periods. Treatments were stratified by no surgery, surgery alone, or surgery and additional treatment. Mantel-Haenszel chi-square statistics and actuarial life tables were used for comparisons. Among 3,382 women treated for breast cancer, treatment differed by age groups (p < 0.01). The most consistent finding by disease stage was that older women were less likely to receive treatment in addition to surgery compared to younger women (p < 0.01-0.05). Among women with local or regional involvement who received surgery and additional treatment, 5-year survival was similar regardless of age group. However, among women with distant disease who received surgery and additional treatment, 5-year survival differed significantly by age group (p = 0.03); women in the 65- to 74-year age group experienced the best survival. In this hospital population, older women with breast cancer who received surgery and additional treatment experienced similar, sometimes better, 5-year survival compared with younger women, which suggests that older women, in some cases, may benefit from combined modality treatment for breast cancer.