Evaluation of geriatric assessment for head and neck cancer surgery

Abstract

Background: In the treatment of cancer in the elderly, we experience cases in which the outcomes cannot be followed as planned even if wound healing is good. In recent years, it has been globally recommended to carry out a geriatric assessment （GA） to identify risks in advance and perform necessary interventions. Materials and methods: GA was performed from August 2019 to March 2020 for 105 patients aged 65 and over who were scheduled for surgery in our department. We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the relationship between GA and postoperative outcomes, such as complications, delirium, and non-home discharge. Results: Non-home discharge was positive for IADL in all cases and was associated with MOS and reconstructive surgery （p=0.01, 0.01）. All cases had gastrostomy or tracheal stoma. Reconstructive surgery tended to be associated with both complications and delirium （p=0.08, 0.05）. Consideration: Non-home discharge is considered to be highly probable in case of postoperative gastric fistula or tracheal stoma, IADL positive, and MOS positive or reconstructive surgery. Conclusions: GA was performed on elderly patients scheduled for surgery in our department, and a relationship between non-home discharge and GA tools was found.