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POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS IN ELDERLY PATIENTS UNDERGOING NECK DISSECTION FOR HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Burak HAZIR 1, MD Erdem AĞGÜNLÜ 1, MD Ağah YENİÇERİ 1, MD Nagihan Gülhan YAŞAR 1, MD Mustafa ÇOLAK 1, MD Aykut İKİNCİOĞULLARI 1, MD Serdar ENSARİ 2, MD Hacı Hüseyin DERE 2, MD
1Ankara Bilkent Şehir Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Kliniği, Ankara, Türkiye
2Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi , Kulak Burun Boğaz Anabilim Dalı , Ankara, Türkiye Objective: We aimed to investigate postoperative local complications associated with neck dissection, as well as major adverse events, in elderly head and neck cancer patients who have undergone neck dissection.

Methods: Neck dissection surgeries performed for head and neck malignancies between 2019 and 2024 were reviewed. Demographic data, comorbidities, patients' medical histories, tumor type, localization, stage, surgical treatment details, and reconstruction methods were recorded. Postoperative pulmonary complications, major adverse events, and local neck dissection-related complications were evaluated within 30 days of surgery.

Results: A total of 195 patients were included in the study, comprising 119 (61%) under the age of 65, 48 (24.6%) aged 65?74, and 28 (14.4%) aged 75 and older. No mortality was observed within the first 30 days postoperatively; however, two cases in the 75-and-older age group experienced major adverse events. Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) occurred in 13 patients (6.67%), while postoperative local neck dissection-related complications (PLCs) were observed in 20 patients (10.26%). Although PPCs were more frequent in the older age subgroups, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.104). In contrast, PLCs were significantly more common in the older age subgroups (p = 0.034). PPCs were more frequently observed in patients with comorbidities, whereas the rate of PLCs was associated with the reconstruction methods used for primary tumor resection sites.

Conclusion: Major adverse events, PPCs, and PLCs were more frequent in elderly neck dissection patients. PPCs were associated with comorbidities, while PLCs were linked to flap-based reconstructions. : Neck dissection, elderly, geriatrics, cancer, complications