A study published in the British Journal of Cancer shows older women with breast cancer face a higher risk of a late-stage cancer diagnosis. However, the same study illustrates that the risk of an advanced-stage diagnosis of lung cancer decreases with age.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Eastern Cancer Registration and Information Centre (ECRIC) set out to determine whether a link existed between age or socioeconomic background and a diagnosis of advanced-stage cancer.
After researching 17,800 women with breast cancer who were diagnosed between 2006 and 2009, scientists discovered that women aged 70 to 74 years had a 21% increased chance of a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis compared with women aged 65 to 69 years.
Furthermore, the chance of an advanced breast cancer diagnosis continued to rise as women got older. For instance, diagnosis of breast cancer was 46% higher in women aged 75 to 79 compared with women aged 65 to 69 years.
The study also investigated over 13,200 patients with lung cancer diagnosed between 2006 and 2009. In contrast, it was less likely that older patients would be diagnosed with advanced-stage lung cancer compared with younger patients.
Compared with those aged 65 to 69 years, patients aged 70 to 74 were 18% less likely to receive a late-stage lung cancer diagnosis. This chance continued to decrease further with age. For example, the incidence in patients aged 75 to 79 years was 26% lower.
The study author, Dr Georgios Lyratzopoulos, based at the University of Cambridge, said, “Patient awareness of the signs of breast cancer is known to be lower among older women and this may explain why breast cancer is diagnosed later among this age group. But it is puzzling why older patients have a lower risk of advanced-stage lung cancer. More research is needed to better understand this pattern.”
Source: Cancer Research UK.
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