Early (90‐day) mortality after radical radiotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A population‐based analysis

Background A retrospective, population‐based analysis of 90‐day mortality in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated with radiotherapy was performed to determine the early mortality rate and associated risk factors. Methods Data were ed for all consecutive patients with cancer of the head and neck treated from 1998 to 2014 at the BC Cancer Agency with curative intent radiotherapy (n = 5658). Logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with early mortality. Results The median age at diagnosis was 63 years. The mortality rate at 90 days after starting radiotherapy (RT) was 3.6% (n = 203/5658). The cause of death was attributed to head and neck cancer for 81% of patients. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that increasing age, oral cavity subsite, and advanced T and N classification were associated with an increased risk of early mortality (p < .05). Conclusions The risk of early mortality was 3.6%. Elderly patients with advanced T and N classification had the highest risk of early mortality.