Compliance to therapy-elderly head and neck carcinoma patients.

Background: Treatment compliance of elderly patients to intensive multi-modality cancer therapy can be challenging and has not been adequately addressed in developing countries. The present study evaluated compliance of elderly head and neck carcinomas patients to cancer-directed therapy.

Methods: Forty-seven elderly HNSCC patients were evaluated in the present study. Patients were assessed as per stage and site of disease, general condition, performance status, and any pre-existing co-morbidities. Compliance was defined as patients who were able to complete cancer therapy as intended at primary clinic. Non-compliance to therapy was stratified as early, mid- and late-course non-compliance. Statistical analysis was done using STATA 9.1 software, chi-square/Fischer's exact test to see strength of association between two categorical variables that could possibly affect compliance in elderly patients.

Results: Sixty-eight per cent of elderly patients were subjected to radical treatment, majority (42/47) presented in loco-regionally advanced stage (III-IV), most common site of malignancy was oropharynx (21/47). Sixty-two per cent of elderly HNSCC patients were compliance to cancer therapy. Median overall treatment time for patients subjected to radical radiation therapy was 52 (range 47-99) days, and for radical surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy was 109 (95-190) days. Compliance to therapy for elderly HNSCC patients was not significantly associated with advanced stage, poor general condition, intent of treatment or presence of co-morbidity. As regards to non-compliance, majority (14/18) of elderly patients showed mid-course treatment non-compliance.

Conclusions: Nearly two-thirds of elderly head and neck carcinoma patients were compliant to cancer-directed therapy.