These elderly women fought breast cancer without chemo

Jayalakshmi Chari, 85 and Padmini Bhatia, 82

Two elderly women, Jayalakshmi Chari, 95, and Padmini Bhatia, 82, have one thing in common, both grannies went under the knife at their advanced age, and have come out as winners fighting the big ‘C' (both had breast cancer), and today they are an inspiration for many. Interestingly, both of them did not undergo any chemotherapy or radiation either before or post the surgery, and ‘a positive mind' and determination to fight the illness was the only key to their recovery.

From Muscat to Mumbai for treatment of varicose veins

Come February 13, Bhatia will return to Muscat, Oman, to her husband Purshotam, 85, and grown-up children who run a textile retail outlet there, for the last seven decades. Pradeep, 63, one of her sons, said, "My mother suffered from a varicose vein in her left leg for the past four years. Since the surgical intervention was suggested, as it had developed into a venous ulcer, we could not continue with the treatment at Muscat. We got her to Mumbai after the COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted, last year." "We had consulted the vascular surgeon in western suburbs and he had advised a few medical tests before deciding on the fitness and surgery," he said.

Bharati, her daughter in law, who accompanied Bhatia from Muscat said, "It was during her ECG procedure that the technician informed us about the lump on the left side of mother's breast. And even she (Bhatia) had informed us of having spotted the lump, which was not painful, a few months ago. However, it was ignored at that time. Through reference, we consulted oncosurgeon Dr Meghal Sanghavi, who conducted various tests and concluded that the lump was indeed breast cancer."

"She was operated on for the cancerous lump in November 2021, and due to her advanced age, and Parkinson problem, she was not given any chemotherapy or radiation. Though she is a bit weak and her movement is slow, we are still happy that she will continue leading a normal quality life, without any pain," said Bharati.

‘Did not want my mother to be in any pain'

Kalpana Vasudevan, 76, daughter of Chari said, "Many well-wishers advised against the surgery, but I did not want my mother to be in pain. Hence, we consented to her surgery at her advanced age. I had witnessed my late husband Vasudevan, (78 at the time of death in 2015), who had a painful end, due to an advanced stage of cancer spread. He was diagnosed and was under treatment for prostate cancer for two years before he passed away."

Vasudevan recalled, "It was in 2015, my mother was admitted to a hospital after being diagnosed with swine flu, she was 89 years old then. At the hospital, before discharge, the doctor advised a scan to be done. The report showed that a lump was visible on the right side of her breast, which was accordingly confirmed to be cancerous, after conducting further related tests."

"It was the same year, I had lost my husband to cancer and having my mother too diagnosed with the same, was an emotional situation. And due to advanced age, the surgeons performed the surgery giving local anaesthesia, and my mother could sail through the surgical procedure without any complications," said Vasudevan.

Diagnosis delayed due to reduced screening

Dr Meghal Sanghavi, Oncosurgeon at Wockhardt hospital, Mumbai Central said, "Chances of breast cancer increases with age. In both Jayalakshmi and Padmini cases, we had to ensure that the lump and breast were removed surgically. They both were put on hormonal treatment, as breast cancer is hormonally modulated cancer, which is usually painless, at initial stages."

"Although the median age at presentation of breast cancer is 61 years, 45 per cent of breast cancer patients are 65 years and older. Older patients (80-years-old or above) constitute a significant percentage of these patients. Around one in four patients with breast cancer above age 65 or 10.6 per cent of the total breast cancer population is 80-years-old or older," said Dr Sanghavi.

She further added, "Studies have also found that diagnosis is commonly delayed due to reduced screening. Many patients, especially in the older part of the age spectrum (85-year-old or above), would not be considered for chemotherapy treatment by most oncologists. This is because of a perceived or actual increase in adverse effects of such therapy."

Risk triples for women aged between 70 and 80 years

When asked about detection of breast cancer in males, Dr Sanghavi replied in affirmative, stating, "As per available data, nearly one per cent of the total breast cancer patients are men."

The surgeon added, "In the US, cancer is the second most common cause of death in women aged 75 years and older. The risk of breast cancer nearly triples for women aged 70 to 80 to a rate of 43 in 1,000 women, compared to 15 in 1000 women aged 40-50 years."

Some breast cancer facts

>> 12 per cent of all breast cancer cases occur in women over 80 years of age
>> Treatment plans for breast cancer in octogenarians should consider comorbidities
>> Online tools can assess life expectancy and the benefits and risks of cancer therapies
>> Surgical therapy is well tolerated in octogenarians and should not be underutilised
>> Axillary staging and radiation therapy may be omitted in some cases
Dr Meghal Sanghavi, Oncosurgeon at Wockhardt hospital, Mumbai Central