Quality of life in elderly patients with head and neck cancer one year after diagnosis

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Abstract
Background. Little is known about quality of life (QOL) in elderly patients. Methods. Seventy‐eight older (≥70 years) and 105 younger patients (45–60 years) with carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx (stage ≥II), or larynx (stage ≥III) completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Core Quality of Life Questionnaire and EORTC Head and Neck Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire before treatment. Fifty‐one older and 70 younger patients completed all follow‐up questionnaires at 3, 6, and 12 months. Results. Before and after treatment, the physical functioning of the older patients was worse than that of younger patients. This difference remained relatively constant during follow‐up and is probably related to normal aging. At baseline and 3 months, no other differences were found between both groups. At 6 months, younger patients reported more pain, but at 12 months no relevant differences were found. Conclusions. Treatment did not affect QOL differently in older and younger patients. Therefore, standard treatment should always be considered, irrespective of the patient's age. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck26: 1045–1052, 2004