Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the elderly-aspects from current considerations
LI Chen-xi
GONG Zhong-cheng
ZHOU Xiao-hui
ZHAO Hua-rong
Abstract：With changes in demographic structure characterized by a significant increase in the number of elderly people,malignant tumors have become the second most common cause of death in the elderly after cardiovascular disease.Approximately 30%of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)are at least 70 years of age.Nowadays the treatment of HNSCC is still dominated by surgery and radiochemotherapy.For elderly patients,however,the clinicians often have to question the rationality of invasive treatment.Because the proportion of elderly patients with HNSCC is increasing,there is little evidence for clinical management of this population and almost no consistent standard of care,and inappropriate treatment options may lead to poor prognosis for tumor treatment or functional reconstructive outcomes.From the perspective of evidence-based medicine,this paper presents the current level of evidence for treatment so as to provide specific treatment recommendation for HNSCC in the elderly patients.
Keywords：Head and neckSquamous cell carcinomaElderlyComorbidityGeroscienceEvidence-based assessment
Publication Date：2024-05-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 188-192 )