Chemotherapy Offers no Benefit, Notable Harm to Breast Cancer Patients Over 70, Landmark Study Finds
PARIS - A new analysis reveals that adding chemotherapy to hormone therapy after surgery provides no discernible benefit for women over 70 diagnosed wiht hormone-sensitive breast cancer, while simultaneously inflicting significant harm to their quality of life. The findings, stemming from the ASTER 70s study, are prompting a re-evaluation of standard treatment protocols for older breast cancer patients.
The research, focused even on cases with aggressive tumors, underscores the primacy of hormone therapy as the key post-surgical treatment for this demographic. While chemotherapy’s benefit isn’t entirely ruled out in specific situations, researchers emphasize it remains marginal compared to the proven effectiveness of hormonal treatment. This observation is particularly critical when weighed against the debilitating side effects chemotherapy introduces.
“The main message of the analysis is that the benefit of chemotherapy added to hormone therapy after surgery for hormone-sensitive breast cancer after age 70 is very tough to identify,” stated researchers. “In this study, we did not find any additional benefit provided by chemotherapy.”
The study’s findings suggest a shift in focus towards maximizing quality of life for older patients.Without demonstrable benefit, and in the face of chemotherapy’s detrimental side effects – potentially leading to a “degraded quality of life” – the treatment should be approached with extreme caution.
ASTER 70s stands for Adjuvant Systemic Treatment for ER-positive – meaning adjuvant systemic treatment (treatment administered along with a main treatment) for breast tumors with hormone receptors, in patients aged 70 and over.
