Clinical Issues in the Treatment of Older Women With Breast Cancer: An Expert Interview With Dr. Hyman B. Muss

Medscape Interview Although cancer is a disease that develops most commonly in older individuals, the elderly are often underrepresented in clinical cancer trials. To address this discrepancy, the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) formed the Cancer in the Elderly Committee in the mid-1990s. One of the goals of the committee, which is focused on issues pertaining to treatment of older persons with cancer, is to initiate and facilitate clinical trials that specifically examine the efficacy and safety of treatments in this population. Most of these trials also explore effects of treatment on quality of life. One of the trials initiated by this committee, and funded through a grant from the National Institute on Aging/National Cancer Institute, is the CALGB/Clinical Trials Support Unit (CTSU) 49907 -- A Randomized Trial of Adjuvant Chemotherapy with Standard Regimens, Cyclophosphamide, Methotrexate, and Fluorouracil (CMF) or Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide (AC) versus Capecitabine in Women 65 Years and Older With Early Stage Breast Cancer. Related Links American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 44th Annual Meeting Breast Cancer Resource Center