Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32920767›Full record

Trial reportQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2021

Randomized Clinical Trial on Reduction of Radiotherapy Dose to the Elective Neck in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Results on the Quality of Life.

S Deschuymer, D Nevens, F Duprez, J F Daisne, M Voordeckers, W De Neve, S Nuyts

Open access · greenAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 29% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Is less more? Revisiting elective nodal irradiation in head and neck cancer.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Widespread distribution and altered pain processing in head and neck cancer survivors at long-term after treatment.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023
    Article
  5. Review
  6. 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

7 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

S DeschuymerDepartment of Radiation Oncology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2271-6566
D NevensDepartment of Radiation Oncology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3881-9199
F DuprezDepartment of Radiotherapy-Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7633-1960
J F DaisneDepartment of Radiation Oncology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8584-4189
M VoordeckersDepartment of Radiation Oncology, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5225-039X
W De NeveDepartment of Radiotherapy-Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1818-064X
S NuytsDepartment of Radiation Oncology, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. sandra.nuyts@uzleuven.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5540-4796
Ghent University Hospital · BEKU Leuven · BEIridium Kankernetwerk · BEUCLouvain · BEVrije Universiteit Brussel · BE

Funding

Kom op tegen Kanker -
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeA randomized trial was initiated to investigate whether a reduction of the dose to the elective nodal sites would result in less toxicity and improvement in Quality of Life (QoL) without compromising tumor control. This paper aimed to compare QoL in both treatment arms.

methodsTwo-hundred head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) or chemo-RT were randomized (all stages, mean age: 60 years, M/F: 82%/18%). The elective nodal volumes of patients randomized in the experimental arm were treated up to a 40 Gy equivalent dose. In the standard arm, the elective nodal volumes were treated up to a 50 Gy equivalent dose. The QoL data were collected using The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire QLQ-C30 and the EORTC Head and Neck Cancer module (H&N35).

resultsA trend toward less decline in QoL during treatment was observed in the 40 Gy arm compared to the 50 Gy arm. Statistically significant differences for global health status, physical functioning, emotional functioning, speech problems, and trouble with social eating in favor of the 40 Gy arm were observed. A clinically relevant better outcome in the 40 Gy arm was found for physical functioning at the end of therapy.

conclusionQoL during RT for head and neck cancer tends to be less impaired in the 40 Gy arm. However, reducing the dose only on the elective neck does not result in clinically relevant improvement of QoL. Therefore, additional treatment strategies must be examined to further improve the QoL of HNSCC patients.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesQuality of LifeSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckSurveys and QuestionnairesDose reductionElective nodesHead and neck cancerQuality of lifeRadiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID32920767
OpenAlexW3086239691

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.