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 abstracted 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.
Keywords: early mortality; head and neck cancer; radiotherapy.
© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.