Doctors Recommend Less Treatment for Older Women

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• Topic: Diagnosis and Chemotherapy
• Tags: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, Invasive or Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma, Invasive or Infiltrating Lobular Carcinoma, 65 and older, Planning/Considering Chemotherapy, and 65 and older

Earlier research has shown that older women (70 and older) get as much benefit from chemotherapy as younger women do. Yet a new study adds to growing evidence that doctors tend to recommend less treatment for older women. This needs to change.

Older women should be offered the latest effective treatment options just as younger women are.

Most older women who are in generally good health are likely to live for a long time. So there's no reason to cut corners. Everyone, no matter their age, deserve the best care available.

If you're 70 or older, you deserve to have all the treatment options that are available to younger women. Discuss all the available treatment options with your doctor.

If you're a younger woman, make sure any older women in your circle of family and loved ones have regular mammograms. Diagnosing and then treating breast cancer as early as possible can and does make a difference, regardless of age.

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