Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32019576›Full record

Trial reportRadiation oncology (London, England)2020

Radiotherapy for geriatric head-and-neck cancer patients: what is the value of standard treatment in the elderly?

Erik Haehl, Alexander Rühle, Hélène David, Tobias Kalckreuth, Tanja Sprave, Raluca Stoian, Christoph Becker, Andreas Knopf, Anca-Ligia Grosu, Nils H Nicolay

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Radiation oncology (London, England), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
44citing papers in PubMed
9.7field-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

44 citing papers in PubMed, 83 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. Balancing survival rates and quality-of-life outcomes after transoral laser microsurgery for locally advanced glottic cancer.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
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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

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Erik HaehlDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Str. 3, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Alexander RühleDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Str. 3, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Hélène DavidDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Str. 3, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Tobias KalckreuthDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Str. 3, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Tanja SpraveDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Str. 3, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Raluca StoianDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Str. 3, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Christoph BeckerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Killianstr. 5, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Andreas KnopfDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Killianstr. 5, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Anca-Ligia GrosuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Str. 3, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Nils H NicolayDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Str. 3, 79106, Freiburg, Germany. nils.nicolay@uniklinik-freiburg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2550-1410
University of Freiburg · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHead-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common malignancies globally, and the number of elderly patients diagnosed with HNSCC is increasing. However, as elderly HNSCC patients are underrepresented in clinical trials, current clinical decision making for this cohort largely lacks clinical evidence.

methodsElderly patients (≥65 years) with HNSCC undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy from 2010 to 2018 at Freiburg University Medical Center were assessed for patterns of care, locoregional control (LRC), progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) regarding definitive and adjuvant treatments. Acute and late therapy-associated toxicities were quantified according to CTCAE v5.0.

resultsTwo hundred forty-six patients were included in this analysis, of whom 166 received definitive and 80 adjuvant treatment. Two-year rates for OS, PFS and LRC were 56.9, 44.9 and 75.5%, respectively. Survival differed significantly between age groups with an OS of 40 and 22 months and a PFS of 23 and 12 months for patients aged 65-74 or ≥ 75 years, respectively (p < 0.05). Concomitant chemotherapy resulted in improved OS in patients aged 65-74 years compared to radiotherapy alone (p < 0.05) for definitive treatments, while patients ≥75 years did not benefit (p = 0.904). For adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, a trend towards superior OS rates was observed for patients aged 65-74 years (p = 0.151). Low performance status (HR = 2.584, 95% CI 1.561-4.274; p < 0.001) and smoking (HR = 1.960, 95% CI 1.109-3.464, p < 0.05) were the strongest independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis for decreased OS. One hundred thirty-eight patients (56.1%) experienced acute grade 3/4 and 45 patients (19.9%) chronic grade 3 toxicities.

conclusionRadiotherapy is a feasible treatment modality for elderly HNSCC patients. The relatively low OS compared to high LRC may reflect age and comorbidities. Concomitant chemotherapy should be critically discussed in elderly HNSCC patients.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overChemoradiotherapyFemaleHead and Neck NeoplasmsHumansMalePrognosisRetrospective StudiesSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckSurvival RateChemotherapyElderly patientsHead-and-neck cancerHead-and-neck squamous cell carcinomaRadiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID32019576
PMCPMC7001207
OpenAlexW3012803162

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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.