Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer in women aged 80 years and older accounts for about 12% of cases, but its management is challenging due to the population’s heterogeneity and the lack of relevant evidence-based guidelines. Treatment decisions must consider biological age, comorbidities, life expectancy, therapy-related toxicities, and tumor biology. This study evaluates the clinical outcomes of elderly breast cancer patients treated with a multidisciplinary approach, including oncologists, surgeons, and geriatric specialists. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of breast cancer patients aged ≥80 years treated at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS in Rome, Italy, from January 2016 to December 2020 was conducted. The study reviewed clinicopathological data, surgery, adjuvant therapies, and clinical outcomes. Treatment decisions were guided by multidisciplinary evaluations, including onco-geriatric assessments (GA) and guided treatment decisions. Primary outcomes included overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Surgical and treatment-related complications were also documented. Results: A total of 238 patients aged ≥80 years were included in the study. Of these, 203 (85.3%) underwent breast-conserving surgery, while 35 (14.7%) underwent mastectomy. Axillary surgery was performed in 129 (54%) cases. Regarding adjuvant treatments, 93 (39.1%) patients received radiotherapy, and 101 (42.4%) received endocrine therapy alone. Chemotherapy was administered to six high-risk patients following GA, with no reported toxicities. Over a median follow-up of 42.3 months, the study reported one local recurrence (0.5%), one regional node recurrence (0.5%), and 19 cases of distant metastases (9%). A total of 19 patients (9%) died due to breast cancer. The overall complication rate was low, with 10% experiencing wound dehiscence, hematoma, lymphedema, or similar issues. Five-year survival outcomes were OS 73.3%, DFS 66.6%, and CSS 88.5%. Conclusions: This study highlights that a multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer management in patients aged ≥80 years yields favorable clinical outcomes with low recurrence, metastasis, and complication rates. The personalized treatment strategies, guided by onco-geriatric assessments, balance survival benefits with quality of life while minimizing risks of overtreatment or undertreatment. These findings emphasize the importance of individualized care in this complex patient population and offer valuable insights for optimizing management strategies as the elderly demographic continues to grow.

Details

Title
Advancing Breast Cancer Care in Patients Aged 80 and Above: A Personalized and Multidisciplinary Management to Better Outcomes
Author
Natale, Maria 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Alba Di Leone 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Fusco, Domenico 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Accetta, Cristina 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bellieni, Andrea 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Carnassale, Beatrice 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sabatino D’Archi 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; De Lauretis, Flavia 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Enrico Di Guglielmo 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Franco, Antonio 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Giannarelli, Diana 3 ; Magno, Stefano 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Moschella, Francesca 1 ; Alejandro Martin Sanchez 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Scardina, Lorenzo 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Silenzi, Marta 1 ; Masetti, Riccardo 1 ; Franceschini, Gianluca 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Breast Unit, Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy; [email protected] (A.D.L.); [email protected] (C.A.); [email protected] (B.C.); [email protected] (S.D.); [email protected] (F.D.L.); [email protected] (E.D.G.); [email protected] (A.F.); [email protected] (S.M.); [email protected] (F.M.); [email protected] (A.M.S.); [email protected] (L.S.); [email protected] (M.S.); [email protected] (R.M.); [email protected] (G.F.) 
 Department of Geriatrics and Orthopaedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy; [email protected] (D.F.); 
 Facility of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy; [email protected] 
First page
90
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20754426
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3181506372
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.