Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32337351›Full record

ArticleLaryngoscope investigative otolaryngology2020

Childhood tonsillectomy alters the primary distribution of HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Brannon Altenhofen, Todd A DeWees, Ji W Ahn, Nai C Yeat, Shreya Goddu, Ishita Chen, James S Lewis, Wade L Thorstad, Richard A Chole, Hiram A Gay

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 17% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Association of Human Papillomavirus Infection with Tonsillar Cancers: A Systematic Review.Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India · 2024
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
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 7 institutions in 1 country.

Brannon AltenhofenDepartment of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine UCLA Los Angeles California.
Todd A DeWeesDivision of Health Sciences Research Mayo Clinic Scottsdale Arizona.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3897-3011
Ji W AhnDepartment of Dermatology University of Michigan Hospitals Ann Arbor Michigan.
Nai C YeatDepartment of Internal Medicine Montefiore Medical Center Bronx New York.
Shreya GodduWashington University in St. Louis St. Louis Missouri.
Ishita ChenDepartment of Radiation Oncology Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York New York.
James S LewisDepartment of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville Tennessee.
Wade L ThorstadDepartment of Radiation Oncology Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis St. Louis Missouri.
Richard A CholeDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis St. Louis Missouri.
Hiram A GayDepartment of Radiation Oncology Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis St. Louis Missouri.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9766-3537
Washington University in St. Louis · USMayo Clinic in Arizona · USMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center · USMontefiore Medical Center · USUniversity of California, Los Angeles · USUniversity of Michigan · USVanderbilt University · US

Funding

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP30CA008748 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES · PI Nicholas D Socci · 1985 to 2026
$347.4M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA008748
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWe investigated how tonsillectomy during childhood may influence the distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) positive cancer of the tonsils in adult life using p16 as a surrogate marker for HPV infection. STUDY

designRetrospective observational study.

methodsA total of 280 patients diagnosed with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and known p16 status were eligible for this study. Each participant was called to obtain the childhood tonsillectomy history. Respondents were subgrouped by p16 status and the primary tumor location. Patient demographic and clinical information was analyzed for association with Fisher's exact and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Location of tumor was modeled using univariate (UVA) and multivariate (MVA) logistic regression with associated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals.

resultsOf the 280 patients, 115 (41%) were respondents: 104 (90.4%) were p16 positive and 11 (9.6%) were p16 negative. For p16 positive patients, we observed a majority (93%) of intact tonsils in those with tonsil cancer, compared to 45% of intact tonsils in patients with p16 positive cancer elsewhere in the oropharynx (

conclusionWe found that patients with p16 positive OPSCC at a non-tonsil site were much more likely to have had prior tonsillectomy vs those with p16 positive OPSCC arising within the tonsil. Nevertheless, we do not advocate tonsillectomies as a public health policy to reduce HPV-related OPSCC. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 6.

Indexed as

human papillomavirus (HPV)p16tonsil cancertonsillectomy

Identifiers

PMID32337351
PMCPMC7178443
OpenAlexW3005844545

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.