Overdiagnosis, competing morbidity and tumour biology in older women with breast cancer: building a case for active monitoring

Abstract

Many women ≥75 years of age continue to undergo screening for breast cancer despite a lack of evidence supporting this practice. Evidence from the past 5 years suggests rising rates of breast cancer diagnosis in this age group without a corresponding increase in survival — either because the tumour itself is biologically indolent or because life-limiting comorbidities render a biologically aggressive tumour unlikely to further reduce life expectancy. Here, we review what we know, and what we do not know, about screening and overdiagnosis of breast cancer in women ≥75 years of age and build a case for active monitoring for selected screen-detected breast cancers in this population.