Hypofractionated Radiotherapy for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck in Elderly Patients: A Prospective Phase II Clinical Study

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common malignant tumor, with 25% of HNSCC patients diagnosed at over 70 years of age. As the population ages, it is expected that by 2030, this proportion will exceed 60%. Elderly patients are gradually becoming the main population among head and neck cancer patients. Older patients often have a lower desire to seek medical treatment, leading to a higher number of late-stage diagnoses. Additionally, with declining physical function and multiple comorbidities, frequent hospital visits can be inconvenient, making them often unsuitable for aggressive surgery or comprehensive treatment. In clinical practice, the commonly used conventional fractionated radiotherapy (66-70 Gy in 1.8-2.2 Gy per session over 30-33 sessions, completed in 6-7 weeks) is a time-consuming and intensive treatment method, often resulting in significant and prolonged acute and late toxicities. Hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) significantly reduces the number of treatment sessions and shortens the treatment duration compared to conventional fractionation. Additionally, delivering higher doses can quickly and effectively reduce tumor burden by increasing the lethality to tumor cells. Currently, there are few reports on HFRT for head and neck cancer patients abroad, and no reports on this treatment regimen for elderly HNSCC patients in China. In preliminary studies, our research group utilized a segmented hypofractionated regimen (66 Gy in 3.3 Gy per session for 20 sessions, treated for 2 weeks, followed by 1 week of rest, and then treated for another 2 weeks) to treat 12 HNSCC patients aged 77 to 97 years. The recent effective rate was 100%, with good treatment tolerance and no severe toxic reactions observed.