Radiation therapy in the elderly with head and neck cancer

Head and neck cancer is quite common in the elderly, its most common origin being the larynx, oropharynx and oral cavity. In patients aged 70 and over, assessment of comorbidity and performance status is very important in order to establish the most suitable therapeutic approach, if feasible. Often radiation therapy is the only choice because the patient general condition may entail an excessively high risk for surgery. In the literature there are scarce studies focusing on radiation therapy and its complications, and only retrospective data are available: for this reason the Italian "Geriatric Radiation Oncology Group" (GROG) has planned a prospective study in order to collect the different results achieved in head and neck cancer treated in the same period with radiation therapy, or surgery or both.