Head & neck
-
Impact of comorbidity on short-term mortality and overall survival of head and neck cancer patients.
In 2001, we presented a Cox regression model that is able to predict survival of the newly diagnosed patient with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). This model is based on the TNM classification and other important clinical variables such as age at diagnosis, sex, primary tumor site, and prior malignancies. We aim to improve this model by including comorbidity as an extra prognostic variable. Accurate prediction of the prognosis of the newly diagnosed patient with head and neck cancer can assist the physician in patient counseling, clinical decision-making, and quality maintenance. ⋯ Comorbidity impacts overall survival of the newly diagnosed patient with HNSCC. There is a clear distinction between the impact of the 4 ACE27 severity grades. The impact of an ACE27 grade 3 is comparable to the impact of a T4 tumor or an N2 neck. Comorbidity impacts short-term mortality as well. Especially cardiovascular comorbidity, respiratory comorbidity, gastrointestinal comorbidity, and diabetes show a strong relationship.