Multimodal treatment strategies for elderly patients with head and neck cancer

The population in developed countries is growing older and the number of elderly people annually diagnosed with head and neck cancers is expected to rapidly increase within the following decades, since these types of tumors are age-dependent. The vast majority of older head and neck cancer patients present with locally advanced disease and multimodality treatment, including surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy, is considered the best therapeutic option for these patients. However, several factors, including comorbidities, disabilities, frailty, and impaired functional status are considered to be more relevant criteria than chronological age per se for treatment planning. Therapeutic decisions are often complicated and demand the participation of many specialists. Advances in surgical and radiation techniques, along with the use of conventional chemotherapy and molecularly targeted agents, have improved treatment outcomes. The best-tailored individualized therapeutic option should be selected for these patients in order to avoid high toxicity and major functional deterioration. Still, more older-specific studies are needed in order to produce more definitive and applicable results. The aim of this review article is to investigate the multimodal treatment approaches for elderly patients with head and neck cancer.