Trends in chemoradiation use in elderly patients with head and neck cancer: Changing treatment patterns with cetuximab

Background: Cetuximab was approved for use in chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in 2006.

Methods: Among 3705 patients with locally advanced HNSCC identified in the linked Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare database, we assessed treatment trends, including surgery, radiation therapy (RT), CRT, and specific agents used in CRT. We examined the influence of demographic and clinical characteristics on the likelihood of receiving CRT before and after 2006.

Results: Chemoradiation use increased from 29% of patients diagnosed in 2001 to 61% in 2009 (p < .0001). Compared to before 2006, neither age nor comorbidity score was associated with receipt of CRT after 2006. Platinum combinations were the most commonly used concurrent chemotherapies before 2006, but, since then, cetuximab has become the most commonly used agent.

Conclusion: The use of CRT has increased substantially and cetuximab may have increased CRT use, especially in older and sicker patients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E165-E171, 2016.