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The majority of breast cancer patients in general (and thus likely also true even in the study) are older at time of diagnosis.
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The article stated that the worst results were seen in patients age 35 and under, and went on to say:
"While the findings of this retrospective, single-institution study validate the large body of evidence suggesting that younger patients with aggressive tumor subtypes have worse outcomes when not treated with adjuvant chemotherapy or trastuzumab (Herceptin),
the authors do not recommend universal treatment of this patient population." (emphasis added).
Overtreatment has the potential to cause serious harm. We have recently seen a paper that raised the question of whether giving radiation treatment to all patients with DCIS resulted in some cancer being made more aggressive by exposure to the radiation. Cancer, by definition, is highly mutable, and capable of changing its molecular structure on the fly to withstand whatever the treatment is throwing at it. Literally, what doesn't kill it makes it stronger. There is no benign cancer treatment - all of them are toxic, whatever they are, and should be used appropriately. This study would seem to indicate that the advice sweetsunflwr got from her oncologist was appropriate based on her dx.
Hopeful