[Characteristics and management of early breast cancer in patients aged 80 years and older: retrospective study].

Background: The number of elderly patients with breast cancer is increasing, and a large proportion of these older patients do not receive conventional treatment. Clinical and biological characteristics of tumours at this age and survival according to local or systemic therapy were analysed.

Material And Method: A total of 96 consecutive early breast cancer patients over 80 years of age diagnosed in our Unit between January 2002 and September 2008 were retrospectively investigated. Of them, 54 underwent surgery with or without adjuvant hormonal treatment, and 42 received primary hormonal therapy.

Results: Tumours of patients 80 years old or older had more favourable biological characteristics, including expression of steroid receptors, and absence of c-erb B2 expression. Overall survival was 50 months for the group subjected to surgery, and 44 months for the group who did not undergo surgery. The survival free of local recurrence in the surgery group was 44 months, whereas it was 18 months in the non-surgery group.

Conclusion: In a cohort of patients aged 80 years and older, survival was similar in those who received hormonal or surgical therapy, although the former had a shorter period of progression-free survival or local recurrence.