Breast cancer in octogenarians

833 Background: The number of elderly cancer patients in our society increase rapidly. However, guidelines for their care are often lacking and treatments are influenced by various considerations and are usually less aggressive. Information regarding the natural course of the disease and the outcome of therapy in this population is of uppermost importance. Methods: We report of 135 women who were diagnosed with localized breast cancer at age 80 or older, and were treated in 2 tertiary centers in Israel between 1991 and 2001. The medical records of all patients were retrospectively reviewed. 135 patients that had localized disease and were deemed medically fit for surgery were included. Follow up information was obtained from the medical charts and through phone calls to patients or their families. Death dates were obtained from the Israeli main censor population data resources. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 83. Local treatment consisted of modified radical mastectomy or lumpectomy and axillary ...