The Effect of Chemotherapy on Aging in Older Women With Breast Cancer as Measured by Expression of p16INK4a

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• To measure and compare normalized p16^INK4a gene expression in women ≥ 65 years of age with stage I-III breast cancer who have completed primary therapy comprising surgery with or without radiotherapy followed by endocrine therapy (cohort 2) versus surgery with or without radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy and with or without endocrine therapy (cohort 3) .
• To measure and compare normalized p16^INK4a gene expression in women ≥ 65 years of age with stage I-III breast cancer who have completed primary therapy comprising surgery with or without radiotherapy (cohort 1) versus women treated in cohort 2.
• To compare normalized p16^INK4a gene expression between cohorts 1, 2, and 3 versus an age-matched contemporaneous control group of healthy volunteers accrued from a separate study (cohort 4).

Secondary

• To access functional status (ability to live independently at home and in the community), co-morbid medical conditions, cognition, psychological status, social functioning and support, medication review, nutritional status, and health-behavior status of these patients.