Table 1.
Tumor and patient characteristics
| Characteristic | N | < 70 years “young,” N = 101a | ≥ 70 years “elderly,” N = 53a | p-valueb | q‑valuec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 154 | (Mean, range) | – | – | |
| – | 58.2 years | 76.3 years | – | – | |
| – | (36.0 to 69.7) | (70.5 to 86.7) | – | – | |
| Karnofsky | 154 | – | – | < 0.001 | 0.003 |
| 80+ | – | 85 (84%) | 30 (57%) | – | – |
| ≤ 70 | – | 16 (16%) | 23 (43%) | – | – |
| Gender | 154 | – | – | 0.57 | 0.73 |
| Male | – | 73 (72%) | 36 (68%) | – | – |
| Female | – | 28 (28%) | 17 (32%) | – | – |
| Presentation | 154 | – | – | 0.11 | 0.18 |
| Primary | – | 72 (71%) | 29 (55%) | – | – |
| Recurrent | – | 23 (23%) | 20 (38%) | – | – |
| Multiple tumors | – | 6 (5.9%) | 4 (7.5%) | – | – |
| Alcohol | 154 | – | – | 0.020 | 0.061 |
| Never | – | 58 (57%) | 42 (79%) | – | – |
| Terminated | – | 35 (35%) | 10 (19%) | – | – |
| Current | – | 8 (7.9%) | 1 (1.9%) | – | – |
| Smoker | 154 | – | – | 0.004 | 0.018 |
| Never/nd | – | 19 (19%) | 20 (38%) | – | – |
| Terminated | – | 62 (61%) | 31 (58%) | – | – |
| Current | – | 20 (20%) | 2 (3.8%) | – | – |
| T stage | 154 | – | – | 0.005 | 0.021 |
| pT1 | – | 39 (39%) | 11 (21%) | – | – |
| pT2 | – | 33 (33%) | 12 (23%) | – | – |
| pT3 | – | 11 (11%) | 15 (28%) | – | – |
| pT4a | – | 18 (18%) | 15 (28%) | – | – |
| N stage (simplified) | 154 | – | – | 0.59 | 0.73 |
| N0 | – | 37 (37%) | 23 (43%) | – | – |
| N1 | – | 19 (19%) | 7 (13%) | – | – |
| N2–3 | – | 45 (45%) | 23 (43%) | – | – |
| UICC | 154 | – | – | 0.97 | > 0.99 |
| I | – | 15 (15%) | 9 (17%) | – | – |
| II | – | 6 (5.9%) | 3 (5.7%) | – | – |
| III | – | 22 (22%) | 12 (23%) | – | – |
| IVa | – | 58 (57%) | 29 (55%) | – | – |
| Localization | 154 | – | – | 0.97 | > 0.99 |
| Oral cavity | – | 51 (50%) | 27 (51%) | – | – |
| Oro-/hypopharynx | – | 34 (34%) | 17 (32%) | – | – |
| Larynx | – | 16 (16%) | 9 (17%) | – | – |
| Resection | 154 | – | – | > 0.99 | > 0.99 |
| R0 | – | 21 (21%) | 11 (21%) | – | – |
| Close (< 5 mm) | – | 55 (54%) | 29 (55%) | – | – |
| R1 | – | 25 (25%) | 13 (25%) | – | – |
| Grading | 154 | – | – | 0.46 | 0.69 |
| 1 | – | 6 (5.9%) | 2 (3.8%) | – | – |
| 2 | – | 65 (64%) | 30 (57%) | – | – |
| 3 | – | 30 (30%) | 21 (40%) | – | – |
| Perineural spread | 154 | – | – | 0.048 | 0.10 |
| Negative | – | 97 (96%) | 46 (87%) | – | – |
| Positive | – | 4 (4.0%) | 7 (13%) | – | – |
| ECE | 154 | – | – | 0.038 | 0.094 |
| Absent | – | 92 (91%) | 42 (79%) | – | – |
| Present | – | 9 (8.9%) | 11 (21%) | – | – |
| Chemotherapy | 154 | – | – | 0.003 | 0.018 |
| No ind. | – | 32 (32%) | 14 (26%) | – | – |
| Received | – | 59 (58%) | 22 (42%) | – | – |
| Ind., not received | – | 10 (9.9%) | 17 (32%) | – | – |
| RT discontinuation | 154 | – | – | 0.064 | 0.12 |
| Full course | – | 98 (97%) | 47 (89%) | – | – |
| Discontinued | – | 3 (3.0%) | 6 (11%) | – | – |
UICC Union for International Cancer Control, ECE extracapsular extension of lymph node metastases, RT radiotherapy
an (%)
bPearson’s chi-squared test; Fisher’s exact test
cFalse discovery rate correction for multiple testing