Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in geriatric head and neck cancers.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to present our findings on the treatment completion rates and outcomes in geriatric patients with head and neck cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by definitive therapy. METHODS Geriatric patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were selected for this analysis. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated. RESULTS Forty-six of 49 patients completed neoadjuvant chemotherapy (93.9%). The compliance to local treatment was 73.3% and the median OS was 49.9 months (95% confidence interval [CI] = 22.0-77.8 months) in patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy for organ preservation (n = 15). In patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for technically unresectable disease, the corresponding figures were 82.06% and 9.0 months (95% CI = 5.9-12.1 months), respectively. CONCLUSION Individualized neoadjuvant chemotherapy protocols in geriatric patients have high compliance rates to treatment and the median OS in geriatric patients treated for organ preservation is similar to that of young patients. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 886-892, 2017.