How long can an 80 year old live with breast cancer?
The average life expectancy of an 80-year old female is 9.7 years [2]. There are many healthy octogenarians who will tolerate conventional therapy and have a life expectancy of 10–15 years. Age alone should not be a factor in withholding treatment.
What is best treatment for high grade DCIS?
Radiation therapy Treatment of DCIS has a high likelihood of success, in most instances removing the tumor and preventing any recurrence. In most people, treatment options for DCIS include: Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) and radiation therapy. Breast-removing surgery (mastectomy)
What is life expectancy with DCIS?
Generally, patients diagnosed with DCIS have an excellent long-term breast-cancer-specific survival of around 98% after 10 years of follow-up24–27 and a normal life expectancy.
Should an 80 year old have chemo?
First, there is no reason to deny older people adequate cancer therapy — surgery, chemotherapy, radiation — based on age alone. Individualization is critical; one size does not fit all! While one 80-year-old may tolerate a standard course of chemotherapy perfectly well, the next may not.
Is tamoxifen necessary after DCIS?
Research shows that radiation therapy and hormonal therapy after surgery for DCIS reduces the risk of being diagnosed with either another DCIS or invasive breast cancer in the future.
When is mastectomy recommended for DCIS?
Mastectomy involves removal of the whole breast and is usually recommended if the DCIS affects a large area of the breast, if it has not been possible to get a clear area of normal tissue around the DCIS by wide local excision, or if there is more than one area of DCIS.
How do you know if DCIS has spread?
The doctor will remove a bit of tissue to look at under a microscope. They can make a diagnosis from the biopsy results. If the biopsy confirms you have cancer, you'll likely have more tests to see how large the tumor is and if it has spread: CT scan.
Can DCIS be terminal?
DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) is the most common form of non-invasive breast cancer and is considered stage 0 cancer. While DCIS isn't considered life threatening, it does increase the risk of developing invasive breast cancer later in life.
What size DCIS is considered large?
Large DCIS tumors (⩾2.5 cm) pose a particular risk of residual disease regardless of margin status, and additional adjuvant therapy may be necessary.
Should an 86 year old have chemotherapy?
Even when you are healthy, your body will most likely respond differently to treatment than a younger person's body. For example, older adults are more likely to have serious side effects from chemotherapy. But age should not be the only factor in your treatment decisions. Cancer treatment can help people of any age.
Should an 80 year old have radiation therapy?
It has been suggested that psychosocial support during and after radiation therapy may improve overall quality of life. We found that in our patients who were age 80 or older, radiation therapy could be safely administered with both curative and palliative intent.
Is chemotherapy recommended for elderly?
Elderly patients should be given the option of chemotherapy for responsive advanced cancers. As with younger patients they make their decision balancing any predicted positive outcome against the treatment's adverse effects that, even if temporary, will impact upon their quality of life.