Is comorbidity a prognostic factor in elderly patients with head and neck cancer?
Comorbidity measured with ACE-27 was a prognostic factor for overall survival in patients older than 70 years with head and neck cancer. The Karnofsky performance index could be included in multivariable analysis of survival for older patients with head and neck cancer.
These experiments link trauma-induced increases in Cox-2 expression and PGE2 production to reduced immune function. Cox-2 represents a potential pharmacologic target to prevent or reverse trauma-induced immunosuppression.