By: Mary Ellen Schneider From: oncologynurseadvisor.com From 2001 to 2019, breast cancer incidence increased in women who were 65-74 years of age, remained stable in those who were 75-84 years of age, and decreased in those who were 85 years or older New research has revealed age-specific trends in breast cancer incidence among women who are 65 years of age …
Study links frailty to five-year mortality rate among older women with breast cancer
By: Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research From: medicalxpress.com A new study links changes in frailty, a measure of decreased physiological capacity that leads to fatigue, slow walking, muscle weakness, physical inactivity, and weight loss, to five-year survival rates in older women with breast cancer. These findings suggest that managing frailty during chemotherapy could improve outcomes. Published in JAMA Network …
Breast Cancer Overdiagnosis Risk May Be Substantial for Older Women
By: Mike Bassett From: medpagetoday.com Older women screened for breast cancer were at a considerable risk of being overdiagnosed, according to a large retrospective cohort study. Researchers found that an estimated 31% of breast cancers among screened women from the ages of 70 and 74 were potentially overdiagnosed, reported Ilana Richman, MD, MHS, of the Yale School of Medicine in …
Older Women Without Breast Cancer May Inappropriately View Certain Treatment Options as Negatively Impacting Prognosis
By: Colleen Moretti From: curetoday.com Older women without hormone receptor (HR) positive breast cancer are still experiencing overtreatment despite national recommendations to omit, due to lack of reframing prognosis and education on treatment risks, according to a study published in Jama. “Positive reframing of recommendations to avoid (sentinel lymph node biopsy) and radiotherapy may be a strategy to reduce overtreatment …
Older Women with Breast Cancer Can Tolerate Surgery, But Often Pursue Other Treatment Options
By: Matthew Fowler From: cancernetwork.com A study presented at the 12th European Breast Cancer Conference suggests women over the age of 70 with breast cancer can tolerate surgery even though they aren’t offered it regularly, but a second abstract suggests these women tend to opt out of this treatment option. Research suggests that a majority of women over the age …
Hormone Levels Tied to Future Breast Cancer Risk
By: Kristen Monaco, Staff Writer From: medpagetoday.com Circulating progesterone levels may help predict future breast cancer incidence in older women, researchers reported. During a 12-year follow-up period, postmenopausal women saw a modest 16% higher risk for breast cancer with each standard deviation increase in progesterone levels (hazard 1.16, 95% CI 1.00-1.35, P=0.048), Britton Trabert, PhD, MS, of the National Cancer …
Study: Genetic Testing Recommended for Some Postmenopausal Women with Breast Cancer, No Hereditary Risk Factors
By: Aislinn Antrim, Assistant Editor From: pharmacytimes.com Researchers at Stanford Medicine have found that postmenopausal women with breast cancer are just as likely as Ashkenazi Jewish women to carry specific inherited breast cancer mutations. Performing genetic testing on these patients could inform treatment decisions, according to the study. Current guidelines recommend that Ashkenazi Jewish women discuss their cancer risk with …
21st Century Oncologist Part of a Study that Gives Older Women More Options for Breast Cancer Treatment
Source: PR Newswire From: ptcommunity.com A newly published report—co-authored by Dr. Frank Vicini, principal investigator at 21st Century Oncology, and several oncologists from leading medical institutions—finds that older women with low-risk, hormone-positive breast cancer can safely opt for a short dose of radiation instead of taking anti-estrogen pills, which can cause adverse side effects like hot flashes, weight gain and …
Older women with breast cancer still left out of medical trials
By: Andrew M. Seaman From: reuters.com Older women are still underrepresented in medical trials evaluating treatments for breast cancer, according to a new study. Of three different types of trials evaluated by researchers, only one had an increase in enrollment of older women with breast cancer between 1985 and 2012. The other two had decreases. Seeing how older people react …