Toxicity of Older and Younger Patients Treated With Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Node-Positive Breast Cancer: The Cancer and Leukemia Group B Experience

Abstract

Healthy older patients who met the strict eligibility criteria for these trials had a higher rate of hematologic toxicity and treatment-related deaths than younger patients, but no increase in nonhematologic toxicity. Elderly patients treated with newer adjuvant chemotherapy regimens derive the same benefits from newer chemotherapy regimens as younger patients but should be cautioned about the increased risk of toxicity and treatment-related death.