Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27671196›Full record

ArticleRadiation oncology (London, England)2016

Long-term disease-specific and cognitive quality of life after intensity-modulated radiation therapy: a cross-sectional survey of nasopharyngeal carcinoma survivors.

Alan Kiang, Vivian K Weinberg, Ka Ho Nicholas Cheung, Erin Shugard, Josephine Chen, Jeanne M Quivey, Sue S Yom

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Radiation oncology (London, England), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. SEOM-TTCC clinical guideline for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (update 2025).Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Guideline
  2. SEOM-TTCC clinical guideline in nasopharynx cancer (2021).Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2022
    Guideline
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Alan KiangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Vivian K WeinbergDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Ka Ho Nicholas CheungDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Erin ShugardDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Josephine ChenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Jeanne M QuiveyDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Sue S YomDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, USA. yoms@radonc.ucsf.edu.
University of California, San Francisco · USUCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is a lack of data on quality of life in long-term survivors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who have been treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). We characterized long-term disease-specific and cognitive QoL in NPC survivors after IMRT.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of surviving patients diagnosed and treated for NPC at our center with curative-intent IMRT, with or without chemotherapy. Patients who were deceased, still undergoing treatment, with known recurrent disease, or treated with RT modality other than IMRT were excluded. QoL was measured by FACT-NP and FACT-Cog.

resultsBetween May and November 2013, 44 patients completed cognitive (FACT-Cog), general (FACT-G), and NPC-specific (NPCS) QoL assessments. Patients were categorized into 4 cohorts based on duration since IMRT (≤2.5, >2.5-6, >6-10, and >10-16 years). There was no significant difference in age (p = 0.20) or stage ((I/II vs III/IV: p = 0.78) among the cohorts. The 4 cohorts differed overall for all QoL measures (ANOVA: p < 0.02 for each), due to improved scores >2.5-6 years post-IMRT compared with ≤2.5 years post-IMRT (post hoc tests: p ≤ 0.04 for each). No differences were observed between >2.5-6 and >6-10 years post-IMRT, but lower mean FACT-Cog and NPCS scores were observed for >10 years compared to >2.5-6 years post-IMRT (post hoc: p < 0.05 for each).

conclusionsAll QoL measures were low during the initial recovery period (≤2.5 years) and were higher by 6 years post-IMRT. At >10 years post-IMRT, lower scores were observed in the domains of NPC-specific and cognitive QoL. Survivors of NPC, even if treated with IMRT, are at risk for detriment in domain-specific QoL measures at very long-term follow-up.

Indexed as

Cognitive quality of lifeFunctional assessment of cancer therapy (FACT)General quality of lifeIntensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)

Identifiers

PMID27671196
PMCPMC5036322
OpenAlexW2525076706

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.