Survival outcomes in elderly patients with untreated upper aerodigestive tract cancer.

Background. This study is an evaluation of survival in patients with upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer who did not receive guideline-directed therapy. Methods. The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was examined to identify patients with invasive cancer of the UADT. Patients were classified as "untreated" if they received neither surgery nor radiotherapy. Kaplan-Meier observed survival estimates were computed and stage-specific actuarial estimates of relative survival were computed. Results. Of 3589 untreated patients, 13.7% were black, compared to 9.5% white, and 9.2% all other races (p <. 0001). Patients with stage IV disease were more likely to be untreated than those with stage I disease (11.9% vs 3.8%; p <. 0001). Median survival was 39 months for treated patients and 4 months for untreated patients. Conclusion. The median survival for untreated patients was 4 months. Stage, race, and primary site were independently associated with untreated status. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.