Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of axillary dissection in old women with breast cancer.Methods All randomized controlled trials on axillary dissection in old woman were retrieved in the Cochrane Library,PubMed,EMBASE and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database.Meta-analyses were completed using RevMan 5.1.Results Three eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including 5337 patients were involved.There were weak evidences in favor of axillary dissection in old woman.The meta-analysis showed that the overall survival (OS) in 1,3,5 and 7 years and the disease-free survival (DFS) in 1,3 and 5 years were not statistically different between axillary dissection patients and non-axillary dissection patients.However there was a statistical difference in 7-year DFS.Conclusions Axillary dissection does not show a survival benefit in the old women with breast cancer.Therefore it is not well-founded to do axillary dissection in old women with breast cancer. Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of axillary dissection in old women with breast cancer. Methods All randomized controlled trials on axillary dissection in old women were retrieved in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. Meta- analyzes were completed using RevMan 5.1. Results Three eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including 5337 patients were involved. Here are weak evidences in favor of axillary dissection in old woman. The meta-analysis showed that the overall survival (OS) in 1, 3, 5 and 7 years and the disease-free survival (DFS) in 1,3 and 5 years were not displayed differ between axillary dissection patients and non-axillary dissection patients. However was a statistical difference in 7-year DFS. Confclusions Axillary dissection does not show a survival benefit in the old women with breast cancer. Wherefore it is not well-founded to do axillary dissection in old women with breast cancer.