OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical and pathological characteristics and treatment patterns and the factors influencing treatments of elderly patients with breast cancer.

METHODSFrom January 2001 to December 2006, 647 female breast cancer patients over 65 years old were treated. The clinical records were reviewed. All patients were divided into three groups according to age, including 65 to 69 years old group, 70 to 74 years old group and 75 years or elder group. These 647 patients accounted for 13.4% of all breast cancer patients undergoing surgery during the same period. Major pathological type was invasive ductal carcinoma (79.3%). The patients who had chronic comorbid diseases of other systems accounted for 54.7%. Five hundred and eighty-six patients underwent modified radical mastectomy, accounting for 90.6%. Two hundred and thirty-three patients underwent postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, accounting for 36.0%. The differences of clinicopathological characteristics and treatment patterns between three groups were tested by Chi-square test.

RESULTSOlder patients had more tumors with mucinous and other pathological types, less over-expression of Her2/Neu(+++), higher probability to have comorbidities, higher probability to undergo relatively conservative surgery, lower probability to receive postoperative chemotherapy, and higher probability to receive postoperative endocrine therapy alone.

CONCLUSIONSBreast cancer in the elderly exhibits distinctive clinical and pathological characteristics. Treatment patterns they received are related to age.