Comorbidity is an important prognostic factor for elderly patients with head and neck cancer. Investigators are faced with the dilemma of selecting the appropriate comorbidity instrument for outcomes research in cancer. The goal of this study was to compare 2 general comorbidity indices with 2 disease-specific indices.
Clinical Outcomes Research Office, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. piccirilloj@ent.wustl.edu