small cell breast cancer

My mother is 85 and has a small cell cancer in the breast. The tumour is approx 5cms. She has had a ct scan which revealed no other cancer in her body so this is a primary cancer. She has been offered a mastectomy - but she has to decide if she wants to go ahead. Any advice?


This discussion is related to small cell cancer in the breast.

[PaulMD]

Hi there.

For elderly patients, it is indeed very hard to decide if a surgery will be pushed through due to the increased incidence of complications perioperatively (such as difficulty of breathing or heart problems).  A viable option is for the tumor to be sampled for hormone receptors, namely estrogen or progesterone receptors.

If these hormones are positive, tumors in the elderly are known to respond very well to oral hormonal agents such as aromatase inhibitors (arimidex, exemestane, femara) or tamoxifen, even without the surgery.

Regards.