There is increasing demand for minimally invasive treatments for small breast malignancies. This is due in part to increased availability of improved treatment approaches, with the introduction of neoadjuvant strategies, and for cosmetic reasons. Moreover, with the introduction of breast cancer screening programs, tumors are frequently diagnosed earlier and at a smaller size, enabling breast-conserving treatment with lumpectomy followed by whole-breast radiation therapy. For elderly patients, however, various physiologic alterations, comorbid diseases, and higher risk of complications are often perceived as contraindications to breast-conserving methods). In addition, elderly cancer patients generally receive fewer surgeries than younger patients. In this context, radiofrequency (RF) ablation is emerging as a minimally invasive nonsurgical technique for the treatment of small breast malignancies. Several pilot studies have published RF ablation tolerance and feasibility results for patients of all ages with small breast cancers and for small cohorts of elderly patients, but there is a lack of prospective data on long-term follow- up and long-term efficacy for elderly patients. In this prospective, single-arm study, we aimed to determine the efficacy and patient tolerance of ultrasonography (US)-guided percutaneous RF ablation with endocrine therapy for elderly patients with breast cancer who decline or are not candidates for surgery.
