title: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy in older adults with squamous cell head & neck cancer: Evidence and management.
abstract: Treatment for head and neck cancers incurs substantial associated morbidities, which can be of potentially greater significance in older patients. Though the geriatric population forms a substantial portion of patients with head and neck cancers, this group remains underrepresented in large clinical trials. Hence, management for this unique subpopulation remains empiric and mostly based on data from younger patients.
  
  
  
  Review of key publications on geriatric patients treated for head and neck cancers.
  
  
  
  We discuss data regarding chemoradiation for head and neck cancers, as well as management of associated side effects in this population. We encourage oncologists to treat older patients not as a homogeneous subpopulation, but rather assess several factors associated with potential tolerance to chemoradiotherapy. Aggressive supportive treatments for chemoradiotherapy toxicities are highly encouraged in this population, and with new technical/technological developments, there is potential to continually reduce toxicity in this cohort in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology-Hematology, VA Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA. Electronic address: aganti@unmc.edu.
authors.forename: Apar Kishor
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ganti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000628:therapy*; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D019468:Disease Management; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
keywords: Chemotherapy; Geriatrics; Head and neck cancer; Radiation therapy