Multicenter Study on Breast Cancer in the Geriatric Population: Insights for Effective Treatment Strategies

Breast cancer is common among women aged 65 and over. There is a significant lack of evidence regarding the treatment of breast cancer in patients in this age group due to the rare inclusion of these patients in clinical studies. However, it is known that survival in elderly patients with breast cancer is significantly reduced in those not receiving standard therapy. Several factors, including patients' comorbidities, performance status, life expectancy, and tumor pathological and molecular characteristics, can affect the outcomes of treatment. In this study, we aimed to update the knowledge in this field by assessing these factors among the geriatric population in our multicenter dataset.

This retrospective study analyzed data from 335 breast cancer patients aged 65 and over who received adjuvant radiotherapy at five oncology centers (Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Meram Medical Faculty - Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital, Istanbul, Umraniye Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, and Istanbul Oncology Hospital, Istanbul) between May 2010 and September 2022. Demographic, clinical, and pathological data were collected, including age, gender, clinical symptoms, tumor characteristics, treatment approaches, and outcomes. Statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier analysis, log-rank test, and Cox regression analysis, were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22 (Released 2013; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States), with a significance level of p < 0.05.

The tumor characteristics and survival time of 335 breast cancer patients were examined. In the results, performance status, T stage, and perineural invasion were found to be factors affecting the survival of elderly breast cancer patients. In multivariate analysis, it was seen that performance status played an important role as an independent prognostic factor.

The treatment of breast cancer in the geriatric age group necessitates a personalized approach, taking into account the patient's overall health status, life expectancy, and comorbidities.