Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31571340›Full record

Observational studyEuropean journal of cancer care2020

Patients with head and neck cancer: Are they frailer than patients with other solid malignancies?

Linda Bras, Daphne A J J Driessen, Julius de Vries, Suzanne Festen, Bernard F A M van der Laan, Barbara L van Leeuwen, Geertruida H de Bock, Gyorgy B Halmos

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in European journal of cancer care, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

33 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Observational
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Unveiling the relation between swallowing muscle mass and skeletal muscle mass in head and neck cancer patients.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. The role of prehabilitation in HNSCC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024
    Review
  13. Evaluation of a new two-step frailty assessment of head and neck patients in a prospective cohort.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2024
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Head and neck cancer patients with geriatric deficits are more often non-responders and lost from follow-up in quality of life studies.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2024
    Article
  16. Frailty is an independent factor for health-related quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer receiving definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Malnutrition risk and frailty in head and neck cancer patients: coexistent but distinct conditions.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2023
    Article
  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

8 authors.

Linda BrasDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4315-5662
Daphne A J J DriessenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Julius de VriesDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Suzanne FestenUniversity Center for Geriatric Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Bernard F A M van der LaanDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5016-2871
Barbara L van LeeuwenDepartment of Surgical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6745-4424
Geertruida H de BockDepartment of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3104-4471
Gyorgy B HalmosDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2460-2260

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe aimed to compare frailty status between patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) and other solid malignancies.

methodsData collection was prospective, and the following were compared between cohorts at baseline: patient and tumour characteristics, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), Instrumental ADLs (IADLs), Timed Up and Go (TUG) and Quality of Life (QoL). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed, and odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated.

resultsIn total, 242 patients with HNC and 180 with other oncology diagnoses were enrolled, of whom 32.6% and 21.8% were frail according to the GFI respectively. Comorbidity scores were not significantly different between the cohorts (7.4% vs. 13.1%; OR 0.54; 95% CI 0.28-1.02). In the univariate analysis, the GFI was significantly worse in the HNC cohort (OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.11-2.71). However, in the multivariate analysis, the MMSE, TUG and global QoL were significantly worse in the HNC cohort, with ORs of 20.03 (95% CI 2.44-164.31), 11.56 (95% CI 1.86-71.68) and 0.98 (95% CI 0.97-1.00) respectively.

conclusionPatients with HNC appear to be frailer than patients with other solid malignancies despite comparable levels of comorbidity.

Indexed as

Activities of Daily LivingAgedBreast NeoplasmsCase-Control StudiesDigestive System NeoplasmsFemaleFrailtyGenital Neoplasms, FemaleGeriatric AssessmentHead and Neck NeoplasmsHumansKidney NeoplasmsLogistic ModelsMaleMental Status and Dementia TestsMiddle Agedfrail elderlyfrailtygeriatric assessmentgeriatric oncologyhead and neck cancerquality of life

Identifiers

PMID31571340
PMCPMC7063690

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.