Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31194691›Full record

ArticleRadiology and oncology2019

Swallowing disorders after treatment for head and neck cancer.

Martina Pezdirec, Primoz Strojan, Irena Hocevar Boltezar

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Radiology and oncology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 58 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
58citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
19.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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

58 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 117 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Unmet cancer rehabilitation needs and access to survivorship services across the cancer continuum.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Observational
  4. "When symptoms interact and change": longitudinal network analysis of dynamic symptom changes in oral cancer patients.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Possible Clinical Predictors for Dysphagia in Head and Neck Cancer Patients after Surgery.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Artificial intelligence in dysphagia assessment: evaluating lingual muscle composition in head and neck cancer.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Patient-reported outcomes in head and neck cancer: a cross-sectional analysis of quality of life domains across early and advanced UICC stages.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Observational
  20. Review
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

3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Martina PezdirecFaculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Primoz StrojanInstitute of Oncology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Irena Hocevar BoltezarFaculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Institute of Oncology Ljubljana · SILjubljana University Medical Centre · SIUniversity of Ljubljana · SI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background Dysphagia is a common consequence of treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of dysphagia in a group of patients treated for HNC in Slovenia, and to identify factors contributing to the development of dysphagia. Patients and methods One-hundred-nine consecutive patients treated for HNC at two tertiary centers were recruited during their follow-up visits. They fulfilled EORTC QLQ-H&N35 and "Swallowing Disorders after Head and Neck Cancer Treatment questionnaire" questionnaires. Patients with dysphagia were compared to those without it. Results Problems with swallowing were identified in 41.3% of the patients. Dysphagia affected their social life (in 75.6%), especially eating in public (in 80%). Dysphagia was found the most often in the patients with oral cavity and/or oropharyngeal cancer (in 57.6%) and in those treated less than 2 years ago (p = 0.014). In univariate analysis, a significant relationship was observed between dysphagia prevalence and some of the consequences of anti-cancer treatment (impaired mouth opening, sticky saliva, loss of smell, impaired taste, oral and throat pain, persistent cough, and hoarseness), radiotherapy (p = 0.003), and symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (p = 0.027). After multiple regression modelling only persistent cough remained. Conclusions In order to improve swallowing abilities and, consequently, quality of life of the patients with HNC a systematic rehabilitation of swallowing should be organized. A special emphasis should be given to gastroesophageal reflux treatment before, during and after therapy for HNC.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overAnalysis of VarianceDeglutition DisordersFemaleHead and Neck NeoplasmsHumansHypopharyngeal NeoplasmsLaryngeal NeoplasmsMaleMiddle AgedMouth NeoplasmsOropharyngeal NeoplasmsPrevalenceSloveniahead and neck cancerquality of lifequestionnaireswallowing disorderssymptoms

Identifiers

PMID31194691
PMCPMC6572490
OpenAlexW2952796240

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.