Abstract
The results of a clinical study of 23 patients aged over 70 years with oral squamous cell carcinoma as compared with those of 26 patients younger than 70 years old are reported. This elderly group accounted for 47% of the 49 patients with oral squamous cell carcimoma, and consisted of 10 males and 13 females with mean age of 77.7 years. The tumors were most frequently located in the tongue (9 cases), followed by the gingiva (6 cases). Eighty-seven percent of the elderly patients had some underlying medical illness, which in some cases influenced the treatment decision. The primary treatment employed was surgery in 18 patients and radiotherapy in 4 patients ; the remaining one patient received no anti-tumor therapy. The treatment was curative in 74% of the elderly patients. The 5-year cause- specific survival rates in the two groups (elderly and younger) calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method were 50% and 60%, respectively. There were no differences in the treatments employed or the cause-specific survival rates between the two groups. We concluded that curative treatment is important in the elderly and that treatment decisions must be based on oncologic principles, as well as the patient's preferences and clinical status.
