Back to sessions
Sep 28
Education

EDU 16 - Strategies for Managing Head/Neck Cancer for the Frail or Elderly Patient

08:00am - 09:00am ET

MODERATOR(S)

Jacob Miller, MD - Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute

session DESCRIPTION

This educational session is designed to equip radiation oncologists with evidence-based and practical strategies to care for frail, elderly or unfit patients with head and neck cancers in the inpatient and outpatient settings. A significant proportion of patients with head and neck cancers are not fit for intensive standard curative-intent therapy, yet they are particularly vulnerable to the tumor- and treatment-related morbidities inherent to this disease site. We will discuss the medical, functional, psychosocial, and logistical barriers to standard curative-intent therapy, and review practical evidence-based methods for risk assessment, defining frailty, and assessing competing mortality. Additional key topics include evidence-based approaches for hypofractionation in the definitive and postoperative settings, tools to identify patients who are suitable for intensive therapy, systemic therapy selection for cisplatin-ineligible patients, and radiotherapy techniques for palliation of locoregional disease. By the conclusion of the session, participants will be equipped to integrate frailty assessment tools into standard clinical workup, distinguish patients who are unlikely to benefit from intensive therapy, and select from a range of treatment regimens that incorporate hypofractionation and alternative systemic therapies to maximize efficacy and minimize treatment-related toxicity.

learning objectives

  1. Define barriers to standard curative-intent therapy and select a preferred clinic-based tool for frailty risk assessment.
  2. Measure the probability of whether a given patient with head and neck cancer will benefit from standard intensive treatment.
  3. Select from and execute a range of alterative management strategies using hypofractionation or non-platinum systemic therapies within the context of patient- and tumor-related factors.

Credits

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits: 1.00

Rate This Session

Presentations