Abstract
The number of elderly patients with oral cancer is increasing. Oral oncologists are concerned about their treatment and management because the patients often compromised with physical, biological, psychological, and sociological problems. Previously, we retrospectively analyzed healthy life expectancy （self-reliance survival times）, which is a summary measure of population health that takes into account the mortality and morbidity, of oral squamous cell carcinoma （OSCC） patients. The results suggested that most patients with early-stage cancer underwent curative treatments and showed a good health expectancy as well as overall survival. On the other hand, in patients with advanced cancer, health expectancy was good if radical treatments were performed in patients aged 75-79 years. From the results of these studies, it is suggested that, in the treatment of elderly patients, healthy life expectancy may be a useful measure of treatment outcome and that comprehensive geriatric assessment is necessary in deciding the treatment and management strategy. It is also suggested that there is an immediate need to develop a treatment protocol for “vulnerable” or “passive” patients who do not or will not undergo radical treatment of their oral cancer.
