Age and competing concerns in treatment selection for women with non-metastatic HR+ and HER2- breast cancer: Current clinical practice

BackgroundNewer adjuvant treatment options for non-metastatic breast cancer have increased survival. There is a need to investigate whether demographic and clinical characteristics of women with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth receptor 2-negative non-metastatic breast cancer (stages I-III) differentially influence treatment decisions in older (age 65 or older) versus younger patients (under age 65).MethodsIn a retrospective electronic medical record review, prevalence ratio with 95% confidence interval for treatment decisions in older vs younger patients was calculated using log binomial regression adjusted for race, stage, and total number of comorbidities.ResultsIn a sample of 537 patients, 66% were age < 65 and 34% age ≥ 65. Older patients included a higher proportion of White women (85% vs 75%, P = .02), higher number of comorbidities (P ≤0.0001), and lower stage tumors (P = .0004). In multivariable analysis, age ≥ 65 was independently associated with fewer mastectomies (95% CI 0.65–0.96, P = .02), more lumpectomies (95% CI 1.05–1.42, P = .01), and less receipt of radiation treatment (95% CI 0.78–0.97, P = .01) and/or chemotherapy (95% CI 0.73–0.95, P = .006). In multivariate analysis, stage was independently significant for all treatment modalities, except endocrine therapy, and race was not.ConclusionsThis study suggests that age, in addition to breast cancer stage, is a predictor of treatment modality, independent of race and number of comorbidities. Treatment modality reflects a combination of patient preference and clinician assessment of fitness for current standard of care.