Comparison of mortality trends in geriatric and nongeriatric patients with salivary gland tumors.

Abstract

e23026 Background: The treatment of salivary gland tumors has not changed significantly in the past two decades. However, its increased incidence in the geriatric population poses new challenges for their management. This study explores the incidence-based mortality (IBM) trends in the geriatric and non-geriatric population for the time period of 2000 to 2014 and compares the trends between races. Methods: Mortality data was extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database for the years 2000 to 2014. IBM for all stages of salivary gland tumors was queried and the results were grouped by age (geriatric vs. non-geriatric) and race (Caucasian/White, African American (AA)/Black, American Indian/Alaskan native and Asian/Pacific Islander). All stages and both genders were included in the analysis. T-test was used to determine statistically significance difference between various subgroups. Linearized trend lines were used to visualize the mortality trends between various subgroups (Geriatric vs. Non- geriatric and Caucasian vs. African American). Results: IBM for salivary gland tumors has worsened since 2000 to 2014 for both geriatric and non-geriatric patients (P < 0.05), There was a statistically significant difference between these two groups in both Caucasian/White and AA/Black patients. Notably, the worst IBM rates were noted in non-geriatric AA/Black patients followed by non-geriatric Caucasian/White patients. However, there was no statistical difference in IBM between geriatric patients of Caucasian/White and AA/Black descent. Conclusions: The similarity in IBM for geriatric patients with salivary gland tumors in both Caucasian/White and AA/Black groups suggest that the effects of race may not be pronounced in the elderly population. The high rate of IBM in non-geriatric AA/Black patients may suggest environmental influence and warrants further study.