Too old for radiation?

dobby

Are you ever too old for radiation?  If one is over age 80 and gets radiation therapy, is the risk of heart disease too great at that point. 

FLtricia

My father was in his mid-eighties when he had radiation treatments.  They told us they regulated treatments to compensate for his age.  He had lung cancer, so I can't address any other issues.  I will say he had heart issues going in.  Radiation didn't seem to have negative effect on him.

I would suggest writing down any questions to ask the radiation oncologist.  If it is you facing radiation, you might want to bring someone along to take notes on what you are told.  I went with my father, and thought of some questions to ask in addition to his.

I wish you the best.

Pat

coraleliz

My friend's aunt had RADs for breast cancer when she was in her 80's. She was treated approximately 2 yrs ago. The "Canadian" protocol was used. I don't know alot about this protocol but I believe it's only 3 weeks instead of 6. She was not treated further than lumpectomy & RADs. No aromatase inhibitor. She had a stage 1 grade 1 tumor. You may be able to find someone will to provides radiation treatments. Might take some "shopping" around.

Cowgirl13

I don't think so but ask the radiation oncologist.  As coraliliz wrote, the 'Canadian' protocol is ony 3 weeks.  I was able to do it in 19 sessions and it was really easy.  It did not hurt my skin at all.  I was 64 when I had rads.

Good luck.

dlb823

dobby, I don't know if one is ever too old if RT is needed, but I did read some very recent research that indicated women over age 70, I believe, may not be automatic candidates for RT after a lumpectomy.  Not sure where I saw that research and not sure if I can find it (I'll look around and post it if I do), but absolutely check with more than one rad onc for opinions.  Those at the major comprehensive cancer centers should be up on this research.    Deanna 

ruthbru

I copied this from the research section of the home page of BCO:

Some Older Women May Be Able to Skip Radiation After Lumpectomy  

Published on June 28, 2013 at 11:04 am

Last modified on June 28, 2013 at  3:42 pm

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• Topic: Radiation Therapy
• Tags: Standard (most typical), Breast, After surgery, and External

In most cases, the standard treatment for early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer is lumpectomy to remove the cancer followed by about 6 weeks of radiation therapy (5 days a week) to destroy any cancer cells that may have been left behind. This two-step approach reduces the risk of breast cancer recurrence (the cancer coming back).

But in 2004, this treatment approach changed for older women. Large studies showed that while lumpectomy plus radiation did reduce the rate of recurrence among older women, it didn’t improve their overall survival. Overall survival is the amount of time the women lived, with or without the cancer coming back. So the National Comprehensive Cancer Network modified its treatment guidelines: radiation therapy became optional for women aged 70 and older diagnosed with early-stage, estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer who take hormonal therapy for 5 years or more after lumpectomy.

Doctors then wondered if women who were younger than 70 but still postmenopausal also might be able to skip radiation after lumpectomy.

A small study suggests that women aged 55 to 75 diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer treated with only lumpectomy have the same recurrence rates as women treated with lumpectomy and radiation.

The study, “Breast conservation surgery with and without radiotherapy in patients aged 55-75 with early stage breast cancer: A prospective randomized multi-centre trial analysis after 90 months of medium follow-up,” was presented at the 2013 American Society of Breast Surgeons Annual Meeting.

Researchers looked at 749 women aged 55 to 75 who were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer at 11 medical centers in Italy. The women were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups:

• lumpectomy alone
• lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy

The researchers followed the women for about 9 years.

There was no difference in recurrence rates between the two treatment groups. There was also no difference in overall survival or disease-free survival (the time the women lived without the cancer coming back).

While these results are promising, other research has shown that some older women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer get benefits from radiation after lumpectomy. More research needs to be done before doctors know for sure which older women can safely skip radiation therapy after lumpectomy to remove early-stage breast cancer.

If you’re a postmenopausal woman and have been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, you and your doctor will consider the characteristics of the cancer, your unique situation, your surgical options, your treatment options after surgery, and your personal preferences when creating your treatment plan. If you’ll be having lumpectomy, talk to your doctor about why radiation therapy is or isn’t recommended for you after surgery and how that decision was made.

dobby

Thank you all so much for this info.  I am setting up an appointment as soon as possible to speak with an RO.  We still don't know if it is early stage - I think maybe not.  The surgeon who did the biopsy hasn't gone over the pathology report in detail with my mom but I do know it was grade 3  invasive ductal carcinoma.  When we sat with the surgeon before the biopsy, he spoke as if lumpectomy and radiation was a package deal.  I know on the Johns Hopkins site they state they won't perform a lumpectomy without doing radiation.   My mom might chose a mast depending on what she hears; at any rate, she is panicked about getting it done asap and we haven't even seen the MO yet!  I'm panicking.

ruthbru

I would say if she wants radiation, and is in good health otherwise, there should be no reason why she shouldn't be able to have it. They are very cautious and precise, so she should not have any damage to her heart no matter what her age. A mastectomy is, of course, a more serious and harder to recover from surgery, with more possibilities of complications. At 80, I, personally would be more worried about that than radiation.