As our population ages, the number of elderly individuals diagnosed with breast cancer will continue to increase. Currently, the median age at diagnosis for breast cancer patients is 61 years (American Cancer Society, 2006), and women aged 75–79 years have the highest incidence rate of this disease. Despite the considerable number of elderly breast cancer patients being diagnosed today, these patients have traditionally been excluded from clinical trials (Goodwin et al., 1988; Trimble et al., 1994), and therefore controversy remains regarding what constitutes optimal therapy for this population. Certainly, the elderly form a distinct subgroup of patients, in whom tumor biology, comorbidities, and competing risks must be considered in weighing treatment decisions. However, with advances in medical management, our population continues to enjoy everincreasing longevity, and therefore many elderly patients with breast cancer may still be expected to have a reasonable quantity and quality of life. Therefore, it behooves clinicians to consider a variety of factors influencing survival and progression to distant metastasis, and manage patients accordingly.
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Chagpar, A.B. (2008). Distant Metastasis in Elderly Patients with Breast Cancer: Prognosis with Nodal Status. In: Hayat, M.A. (eds) Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy and Prognosis. Methods of Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy and Prognosis, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8369-3_42
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