The impact of age on outcome in phase III NRG Oncology/RTOG trials of radiotherapy (XRT) +/− systemic therapy in locally advanced head and neck cancer

To examine the role age plays in the treatment and prognosis of locally advanced head and neck cancer (LAHNC) treated definitively with radiation alone or combined modality therapy. A retrospective analysis was performed of three NRG/RTOG trials examining either radiation alone or combined radiation and systemic therapy for LAHNC. The effect of age (≥70 yrs.) on cause-specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity was evaluated. A total of 2688 patients were analyzed, of whom 309 patients (11.5%) were ≥ 70. For all studies combined, the hazard ratio (HR) for CSS for patients age ≥ 70 vs. those