Treatment outcome of elderly patients (≥ 78 years) with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A single center experience

Authors

  • Yi Liu Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0450-9152
  • Dan Wang Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6656-226X
  • Yue Deng Department of Radiation Oncology, Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6658-5349
  • Shichuan Zhang Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, Radiation Oncology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17305/bb.2024.10516

Keywords:

Elderly, head and neck cancer, treatment

Abstract

Patients older than the expected age of the local population generally have limited life expectancy. The optimal treatment approach for very elderly patients with head and neck cancer remains uncertain. This study retrospectively analyzed patients over 78 years old, the expected age in 2019 for Chinese individuals, who underwent treatment for head and neck cancer at a tertiary cancer center in China. The study compared the overall survival rates among different treatment groups. The findings revealed that among patients eligible for surgery, radical resection yielded better outcomes compared to radiotherapy-based treatments, with a hazard ratio of 0.362 (95% CI 0.160-0.819, P = 0.015). Among patients who received radiotherapy, those who received a total dose exceeding 60 Gy had a significantly longer survival compared to those who received palliative doses, with median survival time of 31 months versus 14 months (P = 0.003). Among 78 patients who underwent conventional fractionated radiotherapy (CFRT), 15 patients (19.23%) experienced unscheduled treatment breaks with a median duration of 12 days. However, these treatment breaks did not appear to impact survival (P > 0.1). The study also suggested that altered fractionated radiotherapy, including hypofractionated radiotherapy (hypo-RT), could be a viable alternative to CFRT, offering similar survival outcomes with reduced treatment duration. In conclusion, eligible patients should be treated with curative intent, even if they are older than the expected age of the local population. When radiotherapy is indicated, altered fractionation, particularly hypo-RT, may be a favorable option to consider.

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Treatment outcome of elderly patients  (≥ 78 years) with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A single center experience

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Published

06-09-2024

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Research article

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How to Cite

1.
Treatment outcome of elderly patients (≥ 78 years) with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A single center experience. Biomol Biomed [Internet]. 2024 Sep. 6 [cited 2024 Oct. 5];24(5):1417–1423. Available from: https://www.bjbms.org/ojs/index.php/bjbms/article/view/10516