Treatment Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Patients 80 Years Old and over

Tomonori Terada, Nobuhiro Uwa, Kosuke Sagawa, Takeshi Mohri, Nobuo Saeki, Kota Kida, Kenzo Tsuzuki, Masafumi Sakagami

Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya City, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/ijohns.2015.46065                

Abstract

Background: With the recent aging of society, the need for medical treatment of elderly patients with head and neck cancer seems to have been increasing. Method: The present study analyzed all 103 patients with head and neck cancer ≥80 years, and we compared results with those of the previous generation (Group P; range: 75 - 79 years) comprising 104 patients treated in the same period. Results: We provided treatment just as wanted and could not choose it often. The reasons were oncological factors such as unresectable tumor or distant metastasis, refusal of treatment, and physical factors such as poor PS or number of comorbidities. Conclusion: Treatment choices should be based on the wishes and motivations of the patient and the medical assessment of physical function. When a patient ≥80 years old is treated, the high incidence of complications and severity of the disease should be considered.

Keywords

80 Years Old and over, Elderly Patients, Head and Neck Cancer, Treatment

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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