The patient, a 75-year-old woman who was diagnosed with carcinoma cancer in her left breast and lung, has been successfully treated at a hospital in New Delhi.

Carcinoma breast is the most common type of cancer in women which begins in the thin tissue of the skin and may spread to other parts of the body. Carcinoma cancer in the woman's left breast was treated in 2012. "The patient was presented with a history of breast lump. We conducted all the relevant investigations after which the FNAC report showed Ductal carcinoma. Ductal carcinoma is a common type of breast cancer that starts in cells that line the milk ducts, which carry breast milk to the nipple," said Praveen Garg, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. After proper evaluation of the patient, experts here counselled her to undergo Modified Radical Mastectomy.

Her case was complex and extremely challenging owing to her age. In 2012, the lump in the left breast of the patient was successfully removed. However, after seven years she was diagnosed with lung cancer while evaluating for chronic cough. The line of treatment adopted was chemotherapy. "We gave her chemotherapy and immunotherapy. We took utmost care to see that the patient is able to lead a healthy and normal life, and is fully independent and functional," Garg said.

"I was hit by cancer back to back, first in the breast and then lung cancer. I am grateful to the doctors who adopted the correct line of treatment and gave me a new lease of life," she said. According to the experts, patients above 75 years rarely undergo cancer surgeries because of high mortality, fear of chemotherapy, and the risks and challenges associated with them.