Introduction: Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in females, and 30% of these patients are over the age of 70 years. Studies have shown deviation from the standard treatment paradigms in the elderly, especially in regard to radiation treatment.
Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review on 118 patients over the age of 70 years diagnosed with breast cancer and pathologically proven axillary disease over an 8-year period at an urban academic hospital to examine which patient factors influenced radiotherapy.
Results: Increasing patient age was associated with a decrease in the probability of receiving radiotherapy, while HER2-negative patients were more likely to receive radiation. Neither race, number of coexisting medical conditions, or insurance status showed any influence on radiation treatment.
Conclusion: Patient age has a significant influence if elderly patients with axillary disease receive radiotherapy. Further investigation and validation are needed to understand why chronological age rather than biological age influences treatment modalities.
Keywords: Axilla; Breast cancer; Elderly; Radiation therapy.
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