Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2003 Sep 17:1:45.
doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-1-45.

Outcomes and quality of life following breast cancer treatment in older women: when, why, how much, and what do women want?

Jeanne Mandelblatt  1 , Melissa Figueiredo, Jennifer Cullen
Affiliations
Review

Outcomes and quality of life following breast cancer treatment in older women: when, why, how much, and what do women want?

Jeanne Mandelblatt et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. .

Abstract

Background: There are few comprehensive reviews of breast cancer outcomes in older women. We synthesize data to describe key findings and gaps in knowledge about the outcomes of breast cancer in this population.

Methods: We reviewed research published between 1995 and June 2003 on breast cancer quality of life and outcomes among women aged 65 and older treated for breast cancer. Outcomes included communication, satisfaction, and multiple quality of life domains.

Results: Few randomized trials or cohort studies that measured quality of life after treatment focused exclusively on older women. Studies from older women generally noted that, with the exception of axillary dissection, type of surgical treatment generally had no effect on long-term outcomes. In contrast, the processes of care, such as choosing therapy, good patient-physician communication, receiving treatment concordant with preferences about body image, and low perceptions of bias, were associated with better quality of life and satisfaction.

Conclusions: With the exception of axillary dissection, the processes of care, and not the therapy itself, seem to be the most important determinants of long-term quality of life in older women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual Model of Quality of Life in Older Breast Cancer Patients
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percent of older women reporting arm problems after axillary dissection: Relationship to presence of arthritis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. National Cancer Institute. In: SEER Cancer Statistics Review 1973-1995. Specific data from NCHS Public Use Tape. Ries LAG, Kosary CL, Hankey BF, Miller BA and Edwards BK, editor. Bethesda, MD; 1998.
    1. National Cancer Institute DCCPS,Surveillance Research Program,Cancer Statistics Branch,released April. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program Public-Use Data (1973-1998). 2001.
    1. BJ Soldo, EM Agree. America's elderly. Washington, DC, Population Reference Bureau, Inc.; 1988.
    1. TL Lash, RA Silliman. Prevalence of cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1998;90:399–400. doi: 10.1093/jnci/90.5.399. - DOI - PubMed
    1. JS Mandelblatt, AS Bierman, K Gold, Y Zhang, al et. Constructs of burden of illness in elderly breast cancer patients: A comparison of measurement methods. Health Serv Res. 1999;36:1085–1107. - PMC - PubMed