Therapeutic patterns and outcomes in older patients (aged≥65 years) with stage III-IVB inoperable oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC): an investigational study from the SEER database.

Background: The aim of this retrospective study is to explore therapeutic patterns and survival outcomes for a cohort of older patients with stage III-IVB inoperable oral squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) with or without chemotherapy (CT).

Methods: This study conducted a retrospective review of 316 patients ≥ 65 aged years with stage III-IVB OCSCC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry (2010-2015). It compared RT alone (n = 109) with RT+CT (n = 207), utilizing Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank tests.

Results: The estimated overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates at 3 years were 20.6% and 25.9%, respectively. Both univariate and multivariate analyses identified that age and treatment option as independent prognosticators of OS and CSS. Further subgroup analyses showed that the combination of RT and CT significantly improved OS for all OCSCC patients, except those with hard palate tumors. Moreover, this combined treatment approach was linked to enhanced CSS in patients with gingival and tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Conclusion: RT+CT significantly enhanced survival in elderly OCSCC patients, particularly those with gingival and tongue cancers, but not in those with hard palate tumors.