Elderly breast cancer patients receive chemotherapy if treated in private practices
In a study to determine the non-medical factors that may be associated with the decision to treat nonmetastatic breast cancer, researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health evaluated the association between oncologist characteristics and the receipt of chemotherapy in elderly women with breast cancer and found that they were more likely to receive chemotherapy if treated by oncologists employed in a private practice. For elderly women with localised breast cancer (stages 1-3), the researchers report that only 15% of women got treated, and the use of chemotherapy is a judgement call by the oncologist. With regard to younger women with nonmetastatic breast cancer, 70% received adjuvant chemotherapy. The study is published online in Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society...