Once weekly irradiation in XXXX .

@entity1 @entity5 @entity0
Eighty-four elderly @entity1 with @entity0 were treated with a once-weekly schedule using 650 cGy per fraction to a total of six fractions. According to the TNM classification there were 8 @entity1 with Stage I, 29 @entity1 with Stage II, 45 @entity1 with Stage III, and 2 @entity1 with @entity5 . Primary surgical treatment included biopsy, that is, truecut needle biopsy or open biopsy in 53 @entity1 and excision biopsy in 13 @entity1 ; the remaining 18 @entity1 had mastectomy. The average age of @entity1 was 69.2 years with the oldest 91 years of age. Ten @entity1 died of concomitant causes during the follow-up period at an average age of 84.5 years. @entity1 included in this report had at least a 36 month follow-up period with the longest being 94 months. Acute reactions were noticeably less than those with daily treatment. Only one of the 36 @entity1 , where the breast was preserved, had severe delayed skin reaction. Of the 37 @entity1 with Stage I and II, 24 were alive and disease-free at the time of reporting. Three died of concomitant causes, 2 are alive with disease, and the remaining 8 @entity1 died of recurrent of progressive disease. There were 45 @entity1 with Stage IIIA and IIIB and in this group 11 are alive and disease-free, 7 died of concomitant causes, 12 died of progressive @entity0 , and the remaining 4 @entity1 are alive with disease. The two remaining Stage IV @entity1 died of their disease. Once-weekly treatment was well tolerated by all @entity1 and the early local control result is encouraging. We are continuing to assess this type of fractionation in selected elderly @entity1 , especially in those who live away from our center.
