Assessment of changes of quality of life (QOL) following initial treatment of older women with primary operable breast cancer

patients aged ≥70 years. Methods: Between October 2011 and April 2012, 403 patients were included: 171 and 232 patients in the retrospective and the prospective study, respectively. Elderly patients (≥70 years) were analysed separately and their characteristics were compared to the youngest patients (b70 years old). Results: In the retrospective study, 55 elderly patients were analysed. Median age was 78 years [70–94]. Thirty-six (65%) and 8 (15%) patients had hormone-sensitive and HER2-positive tumours, respectively. Seven (7) and 24 patients had exclusive bone and visceral metastases, respectively. Twenty-four (24) patients received oral Navelbine as first line therapy, 27 as second line and 4 beyond second line. The median duration of treatment was 6 months regardless the line of treatment. Oral Navelbine was prescribed as single-agent therapy in 36 patients. In case of combination regimen, oral Navelbine was combined with chemotherapy in 13 patients (capecitabine in 12 patients (22%)) or with a targeted therapy in 6 (mainly trastuzumab). In the prospective study, 84 elderly patients were analysed. Median age was 75 years [70–89]. PS was 0 or 1 in 50 patients, and 65 had at least one comorbidity. Sixty-two (74%) and 79 (94%) patients had hormone-sensitive and HER2-positive tumours, respectively. Exclusive bone metastases were found in 25 patients. The median starting dose of oral Navelbine was 59 mg/m. Singleagent therapy was given in 70 patients (31 patients (37%) and 32 patients (38%) in first and second lines, respectively) whereas 14 patients received a combination regimen, of whom 11 patients (79%) received capecitabine. The monitoring showed that the time to the next scheduled visit was less than 30 days in only 63% of the patients. Conclusion: The results of both retrospective and prospective studies show similar profiles of elderly MBC patients treated by oral Navelbine. In this population, oral Navelbine is often prescribed as single-agent, for the first or the second line and for the same duration regardless of the line. In case of combination, oral Navelbine is most often combined with capecitabine or trastuzumab (in HER2positive patients). Interestingly, the prospective study shows that the follow-up of patients needs to be optimized, a particularly important issue in the setting of an oral chemotherapy schedule in the elderly.