Systemic therapy for early breast cancer in older adults: current status and prospects

In this review, we describe the evidence on the efficacy and the safety of systemic treatments for the management of early breast cancer (EBC) in older individuals.

Chemotherapy has a temporary impact on quality of life (QoL) for older EBC patients and improves survival outcomes for those with oestrogen receptor (ER)-negative disease. Benefits were seen also in the context of comorbidities, although these may be influenced by selection bias. The Cancer and Aging Research Group-Breast Cancer tool can predict the risk of severe toxicities on chemotherapy in older patients. Gene expression profiling is less frequently used in older adults although it holds promise to better inform patient selection also in this age group.Postneoadjuvant systemic therapy and novel agents remain poorly described in older patients with EBC. No disease-free survival benefits were seen in older patients receiving abemaciclib plus adjuvant endocrine therapy.

Chemotherapy is beneficial for selected older patients with high-risk, ER-negative EBC. Although its impact on QoL is temporary, preferences, higher risk of toxicity and competing risks need to be carefully considered. Open questions remain on novel therapeutic approaches and gene expression profile in older EBC patients and more real-world evidence is warranted.