Functional and cognitive impairment , depressive symptoms and social isolation are highly prevalent in head and neck cancer patients and associate with high risk of adverse health outcomes .
OBJECTIVES Older head and neck cancer patients are at increased risk for adverse health outcomes , but little is known about which geriatric assessment associates with poor outcome .
The aim is to study the association of functional or cognitive impairment , social environment and frailty with adverse health outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer .
Comorbidity and performance status as independent prognostic factors in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the individual and combined relationship of comorbidity and performance status ( PS ) on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma ( HNSCC ) survival . METHODS Six hundred patients with HNSCC were prospect ively recruited .  Comorbidity and PS  were measured using the  Charlson Comorbidity Index ( CCI )  and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ( ECOG ) Scale . Outcomes were overall survival ( OS ) and cancer-specific survival ( CSS ) . RESULTS A total of 48.3 % of the patients had at least 1 comorbidity , and 42.3 % had impaired PS at baseline . There was no correlation between CCI and ECOG ( Spearman 's ρ = 0.033 ; p = .42 ) . In multivariate analysis , CCI score was significantly associated with OS ( p = .01 ) . ECOG was not associated with OS , but seems to act as an effect modifier in the association between comorbidity and OS . CCI and ECOG were not associated with CSS . CONCLUSION CCI and ECOG scores both provide prognostic information in predicting OS in HNSCC , but a significant association with CSS was not observed
Functional and cognitive impairment , depressive symptoms and social isolation are highly prevalent in head and neck cancer patients and associate with high risk of adverse health outcomes .
OBJECTIVES Older head and neck cancer patients are at increased risk for adverse health outcomes , but little is known about which geriatric assessment associates with poor outcome .
The aim is to study the association of functional or cognitive impairment , social environment and frailty with adverse health outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer .