BREAST-CANCER IN OLDER WOMEN - SCREENING AND SELECTION OF LOCOREGIONAL THERAPY

As the proportion of the population older than 65 years increases duri ng the next several decades, breast cancer will be a more substantial health problem for older women. Screening mammography detects cancers and reduces mortality from breast cancer in older women. There does no t appear to be an inherent reason to impose an upper age limit for bre ast cancer screening. Older women with breast cancer who are selected for therapy on the basis of severity of comorbidity rather than chrono logical age can be safely treated using standard surgical and radiatio n procedures. The elective addition of axillary radiation to breast ra diation after lumpectomy appears to lower risk of regional relapse vs. the untreated axilla, avoids the morbidity of axillary dissection, an d provides the best local control after breast conservation surgery. ( C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.