Chemotherapy for older patients with head and neck cancer

Abstract

The number of older patients with head and neck cancer is increasing. Cetuximab, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab were approved for head and neck cancer in recent years based on the results of clinical studies. Physicians should choose appropriate treatments for older patients according to not only subgroup analyses by age of clinical studies but also physical status, comorbidities, nutritional status, and patients’ preferences. The combination of chronological age and performance status alone does not reflect heterogeneity of the older cancer population. Geriatric assessment rather than routine oncology evaluations may better assist in taking treatment decisions in older cancer patients because it more accurately identify their vulnerabilities, chemotherapy-related toxicities, and prognoses.