Elderly patients with head and neck cancer: the influence of comorbidity on choice of therapy, complication rate, and survival

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Comorbidity may be an important reason for head and neck surgeons to treat elderly patients less intensively. This article provides an overview of the influence of age and comorbidity on choice of therapy, postoperative complications, and survival. RECENT FINDINGS: Several retrospective studies show that elderly patients can undergo surgery if they do not have severe comorbid disorders. Severe comorbidity influences the rate of postoperative complications, and the higher complication rate in older patients reported in some studies is probably due to a higher level of comorbidity. Comorbidity also affects the survival of cancer patients, but several studies have failed to detect a relation between age and survival after correction for comorbidity. Thus, although severe comorbidity may influence the choice of treatment, patient age as such should not be a reason to exclude patients from intensive therapy. SUMMARY: If severe comorbidity is not present, elderly patients should receive standard treatment for head and neck cancer. Treatment choice should be based on medical findings and patient preference, not on chronologic age.