Breast Cancer in the Elderly

With increasing life expectancy and growth of the elderly US population, it becomes paramount that breast cancer research focuses more on the prevention, screening, and treatment of these patients. Age is no longer a cutoff for managing breast cancer in the elderly. Studies have shown the current undertreatment of cancer undermines survival, but the tide is turning to provide evidence-based medicine for the elderly. More often, clinicians and surgeons look not only at tumor-specific characteristics of breast cancer but also at the functionality, tolerance, comorbidities, and life expectancy of patients to determine the best treatment.