Rethinking Age Limits in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery: Long‐Term Outcomes of Oncoplastic Surgery in Elderly Patients

Background and Methods Although OBS is a well‐established approach, evidence regarding its long‐term safety and outcomes in older women remains limited. We performed a retrospective analysis to identify patients ≥ 60 years who underwent OBS for breast cancer between 2001 and 2014. Patients were stratified into two age groups: elderly (60–74 years) and senior (≥ 75 years). Primary endpoints were disease‐free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and local recurrence rates. Secondary endpoints included post‐operative complication rates and distribution of OBS techniques according to age group. Results 303 patients were identified, 287 (94.7%) elderly and 16 (5.3%) senior. Most patients (60.7%) had comorbidities. Fifteen patients had bilateral tumors, for a total of 318 operated breasts. Breast cancer was staged as Tis, T0, T1, T2, and T3 respectively in 15.1%, 1.3%, 48.1%, 33.3%, and 0.9% of breasts. Multicentricity and multifocality were reported in 6.6% and 12.3% of cases, respectively. Postoperative complications were recorded in 15.2% of patients. Median follow‐up time was 11.4 years. 5‐year and 10‐year OS were respectively 96.0% and 92.9%; 5‐year and 10‐year DFS were respectively 94.6% and 89.0%. Conclusions Our findings support the oncologic safety and feasibility of OBS in elderly patients, demonstrating acceptable complication rates and oncologic outcomes.