Should less treatment be offered to 'older' women with BC? Over 70s ....
A bit disconcerting to read a report, released on Dec 6th 2023, that there may be talk of offering less treatment options to 'older women' (ie over 70s) when diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Maybe they need to ask their mother or grandmother to see if this is acceptable to what they would want, if they were diagnosed with BC? I think most would choose normal treatment, rather than
In the USA, Women age 70 or older account for almost a third of new diagnoses ..... which to me, indicates that the numbers are increasing - and unfortunately, the 'earlier deaths' associated with being 'older with BC' also increase ..... at approx 1 in 4 may not make it to 5 years!
I would hope, that every 'older' woman would be assessed individually on their actual physical & mental ability to receive the surgery/treatment - obviously dependent on the stage/level of their BC - with explanations of why specific treatments would be with-held?
We (70 & older) are generally MUCH more fit & active than our parents ever were at the same age - personally, I look at 70 being the new '60' .... and prior to BC diagnosis at age 65, I was fit & healthy, very active - but, 5 years later, my fitness & activity has been affected as a result of my BC meds ...
They mention the likelihood of 'older' women stopping taking their AIs, possibly increasing the chance of a recurrence ... but this happens with EVERY age group as this publication shows - with the 'dropouts' being anywhere between 10-50%, depending on which publication you read - and are ALL women being totally honest with their Onc & TELLING them they have stopped? I think, probably not:
https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/poor-quality-of-life-linked-to-stopping-hormonal-therapy-treatment-early
Have a read of these inks & see what you make of it?
From the articles on reducing treatment:
Clinical studies of strategies to reduce locoregional recurrence in older patients have examined ways to reduce the aggressiveness (de-escalate) of breast cancer treatment. However, consideration of de-escalated treatment inherently involves caveats. They are hoping to strike a balance between 'too much therapy' and 'not enough' ..... :
https://www.medpagetoday.com/clinical-challenges/sabcs-breast-cancer/107700
Not too little, not too much - optimizing more vs less treatment for older patients with BC:
https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/EDBK_390450
This is a tool that has gained some traction in oncology. (Put your own statistics in & see what the outcome is!) The instrument elicits information that allows the clinician to estimate a patient's likelihood of surviving over different time periods up to 14 years:
https://eprognosis.ucsf.edu/leeschonberg.php
In the USA, Women age 70 or older account for almost a third of new diagnoses ..... which to me, indicates that the numbers are increasing - and unfortunately, the 'earlier deaths' associated with being 'older with BC' also increase ..... at approx 1 in 4 may not make it to 5 years!
I would hope, that every 'older' woman would be assessed individually on their actual physical & mental ability to receive the surgery/treatment - obviously dependent on the stage/level of their BC - with explanations of why specific treatments would be with-held?
We (70 & older) are generally MUCH more fit & active than our parents ever were at the same age - personally, I look at 70 being the new '60' .... and prior to BC diagnosis at age 65, I was fit & healthy, very active - but, 5 years later, my fitness & activity has been affected as a result of my BC meds ...
They mention the likelihood of 'older' women stopping taking their AIs, possibly increasing the chance of a recurrence ... but this happens with EVERY age group as this publication shows - with the 'dropouts' being anywhere between 10-50%, depending on which publication you read - and are ALL women being totally honest with their Onc & TELLING them they have stopped? I think, probably not:
https://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/poor-quality-of-life-linked-to-stopping-hormonal-therapy-treatment-early
Have a read of these inks & see what you make of it?
From the articles on reducing treatment:
Clinical studies of strategies to reduce locoregional recurrence in older patients have examined ways to reduce the aggressiveness (de-escalate) of breast cancer treatment. However, consideration of de-escalated treatment inherently involves caveats. They are hoping to strike a balance between 'too much therapy' and 'not enough' ..... :
https://www.medpagetoday.com/clinical-challenges/sabcs-breast-cancer/107700
Not too little, not too much - optimizing more vs less treatment for older patients with BC:
https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/EDBK_390450
This is a tool that has gained some traction in oncology. (Put your own statistics in & see what the outcome is!) The instrument elicits information that allows the clinician to estimate a patient's likelihood of surviving over different time periods up to 14 years:
https://eprognosis.ucsf.edu/leeschonberg.php
