title: Survival outcomes in elderly patients with untreated upper aerodigestive tract cancer.
abstract: This study is an evaluation of survival in patients with upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer who did not receive guideline-directed therapy.
  
  
  
  The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was examined to identify patients with invasive cancer of the UADT. Patients were classified as "untreated" if they received neither surgery nor radiotherapy. Kaplan-Meier observed survival estimates were computed and stage-specific actuarial estimates of relative survival were computed.
  
  
  
  Of 3589 untreated patients, 13.7% were black, compared to 9.5% white, and 9.2% all other races (p <.0001). Patients with stage IV disease were more likely to be untreated than those with stage I disease (11.9% vs 3.8%; p <.0001). Median survival was 39 months for treated patients and 4 months for untreated patients.
  
  
  
  The median survival for untreated patients was 4 months. Stage, race, and primary site were independently associated with untreated status. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 215-218, 2017.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Alabama - Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors: Brian B
authors: BB
authors: Hughley
authors: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors: Steven M
authors: 0000-0003-0760-8222
authors: SM
authors: Sperry
authors: Department of Internal Medicine - Palliative Care Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors: Timothy A
authors: TA
authors: Thomsen
authors: Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors: Mary E
authors: ME
authors: Charlton
authors: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors: Nitin A
authors: NA
authors: Pagedar
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018426:SEER Program; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014481:United States; D057832:Watchful Waiting / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Epidemiology; Surveillance; and End Results (SEER); epidemiology; head and neck cancer; palliative care; survival