 |
 |
Complementary Therapies »
Learn how complementary and alternative therapies can improve your well-being.
Breast Cancer Issues for Older Women
Like most grandmothers, Edie Fitts wanted to be around to watch her grandchildren graduate from high school, go on to college and someday walk down the aisle at their weddings. But when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 62, she worried she wouldn’t live to see any of that. “I was concerned about survival,” said Fitts, who lives in Wheaton, Ill.
Older women face a range of issues that differs greatly from those of younger women. For example, older women tend to think about how to get the most out of their remaining years. In some cases, that may mean a decision to avoid any kind of treatment at all because of the fear of the side effects that can accompany some therapies. For other older women, they want the most aggressive treatments available. Women of an older generation have a tendency not to seek a second opinion or question a doctor’s judgment, said Fitts, who has spoken with thousands of women as a trained peer counselor for the YourShoesTM 24/7 Breast Cancer Support Center. Fitts herself did seek another doctor’s opinion, and when it jibed with her first doctor’s recommendation, she went ahead with the prescribed treatment.
Luckily, Fitts did not have any existing medical conditions that interfered with her cancer treatments, but that’s not always the case for older women. In fact, the number and severity of other medical problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, increase with age, according to an October 2001 issue of Harvard Women’s Health Watch, a publication of Harvard Medical School. These underlying conditions can increase the likelihood of side effects of treatment. According to Harvard Women’s Health Watch, for example, patients with heart disease may not tolerate some chemotherapy drugs while those with diabetes have increased risk of experiencing complications from surgery. Fitts advises older breast cancer patients to get as much information as they can before deciding on a course of treatment.
Another top issue facing some older women with breast cancer is worry over finances. Already struggling with her health, a woman must then wade into the complicated waters of payments and insurance. Some private insurance companies may not cover the total cost of all necessary treatments. Older breast cancer patients may worry about who will take care of them as they go through treatment and beyond, said Joey Goldsmith, a 75-year-old Chicago woman who volunteers as a YourShoes peer counselor. An older woman may be especially worried if she is a widow or if her children don’t live near her. In this case, she may lack an adequate support system, Goldsmith said. Breast Cancer Network of Strength, however, can help. Many women have found valuable support when they called the YourShoes Support Center.
“Having cancer at any time is a shock and I don’t think that shock lessens with age,” she said.