De-Implementation of Low-Value Care for Women 70 Years of Age or Older with Low-Risk Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background Older women with early-stage estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) invasive breast cancer (IBC) are at risk for overtreatment. Guidelines allow for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and radiotherapy omission after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for women 70 years of age or older with T1, clinical node negativity (cN0), and ER+ IBC. The study objective was to evaluate radiotherapy and SLNB de-implementation in older women with low-risk IBC after the resource limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An institutional database was analyzed to identify women 70 years of age or older who received BCS for IBC from 2012 to 2022. The patients were divided into two cohorts: (1) patients with low-risk IBC (pT1, cN0, and ER+/HER2–) who were eligible for radiotherapy and SLNB omission and (2) patients with high-risk IBC (pT2-T4, cN+, ER–, or HER2+) who were ineligible for therapy omission. Clinicopathologic variables in both cohorts were analyzed. Results The study enrolled 881 patients. For the patients with low-risk IBC, the annual rates of radiotherapy were stable from 2012 to 2019. However, radiotherapy utilization decreased significantly from 2020 to 2022 (58% in 2012 vs 36% in 2022; p = 0.04). In contrast, radiotherapy usage among the patients with high-risk IBC was stable from 2012 to 2022 (79% in 2012 vs 79% in 2022; p = 0.95). Among the patients with low-risk IBC, SLNB rates decreased from 86% in 2012 to 56% in 2022, but this trend predated those in 2020. The factors significantly associated with SLNB and receipt of radiotherapy among the patients with low-risk IBC were younger age, larger tumors, grade 3 disease, and involved nodal status ( p < 0.01). Conclusion This study demonstrated appropriate and sustained de-escalation of radiotherapy in older women with low-risk IBC after the COVID-19 pandemic.