Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026

A Multimodal Imaging Framework to Advance Phenotyping of Living Label-free Breast Cancer Cells
Published on: August 22, 2025
Obesity Does Not Influence Management of Advanced Breast Cancer in the Elderly
Laurel L Tangalakis1, Chandler S Cortina1, Jennifer D Son1
1Department of Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
Background:
Obesity is becoming increasingly common in the elderly population, and it adds to the complexity of treatment decisions in this population. We aimed to investigate whether body mass index (BMI) affects care in this subset of patients.
Patients And Methods:
We performed a retrospective chart review on 118 patients over the age of 70 years diagnosed with breast cancer and pathologically proven axillary disease over an 8-year period at an urban academic hospital and compared BMI to treatment received, clinical stage, and hormone receptor status.
Results:
Performance of radiation therapy, axillary surgery, and chemotherapy was compared in the elderly population over lower and higher BMI, and no significant difference was detected. Although there was a trend for increasing clinical stage to be associated with a lower BMI, this was not statistically significant (P = .06).
Conclusion:
Obesity does not appear to influence treatment decisions in patients over the age of 70 years. Breast cancer providers should turn to other patient and clinical factors when deciding treatment plans in this patient population. Further investigation is needed to examine how obesity influences tumor biology, diagnosis, and treatment decisions.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation V: Advanced Airway Management Techniques
Obesity
Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
Extraction: Advanced Methods
Overview of Advanced Functional Groups
Functional groups are groups of atoms with specific chemical properties that occur within organic molecules and are sometimes denoted as “R”. Functional groups can “functionalize” a compound by enabling it to adopt different physical and chemical properties.
Types of Advanced Functional Groups
The table below summarizes some of the major functional groups in organic chemistry.
Bioavailability: Influencing Factors

