Gaps in Online Breast Cancer Treatment Information for Older Women

For women older than 70 years with early-stage breast cancer, the routine use of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and adjuvant radiotherapy offers no overall survival benefit and may be perceived as undesirable by many women. National guidelines allow possible omission of these practices for older women. This study aimed to assess the availability of web-based educational materials targeting older women and their age-specific treatment recommendations.

The study systematically assessed the websites of the top 25 "Best Hospitals for Cancer" ranked by the U.S. News & World Report, as well as the websites of four prominent national cancer organizations.

Websites for the leading cancer hospitals and national cancer organizations contain extremely limited information directed toward older patients with breast cancer. Both SLNB and adjuvant radiotherapy are described as treatments "typically," "most often," or "usually" used in combination with breast-conserving surgery without circumstances noted for possible omission. Specifically, no hospital website and only one national organization in this study included information on the recommendation to avoid routine SLNB. Only two hospitals and two national organizations included information suggesting possible omission of adjuvant radiotherapy for patients older than 70 years.

The absence of online material for older patients with breast cancer represents a gap potentially contributing to overtreatment by framing SLNB and adjuvant radiotherapy as necessary. Informational resources available to women aged 70 years or older may aid in informed physician-patient communication and decision-making, which may reduce SLNB and adjuvant radiotherapy for patients who might opt out of these procedures if fully informed about them.