Head & neck
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Given emerging demographic trends, many more elderly patients are being diagnosed with head and neck cancers. The surgical care paradigm for this cohort of patients must take into account specific challenges inherent to geriatric perioperative management. ⋯ The involvement of geriatricians and of patients' primary care providers may be invaluable in assisting in complex perioperative decision-making and in participating in longitudinal management. Preoperative risk stratification and assessment of medical, social, and functional variables are critical for appropriate decision-making in this challenging patient population.