Age‐adjusted comorbidity and survival in locally advanced laryngeal cancer

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to quantify the relationship among age, pretreatment comorbidity, and survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer. METHODS Baseline comorbidity data were collected and age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was calculated for each case. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards modeling were used to determine associations with survival. RESULTS For 548 patients, with a median age of 59 years (range 31-91 years), 58% were treated with larynx preservation and the rest with total laryngectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy (RT). Two hundred thirty-eight patients (43%) had at least 1 comorbidity each. Cardiovascular diseases were the most common comorbidities (19%). The 5-year overall survival (OS) for patients with CCI ≤3 (n = 442) were superior to CCI >3 (n = 106; 60% vs 41%; P < .0001), although the 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were not significantly different. The 5-year noncancer CSS was better for age-adjusted CCI ≤3 (88% vs 67%; P < .0001). CONCLUSION The age-adjusted CCI is a significant predictor of noncancer CSS and OS for patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer but is not associated with DSS.