Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33815744›Full record

ArticleTherapeutic advances in drug safety2021

Aristolochic acid-associated urinary tract cancers: an updated meta-analysis of risk and oncologic outcomes after surgery and systematic review of molecular alterations observed in human studies.

Yu-Chan Kang, Ming-Hong Chen, Chung-Ying Lin, Chih-Yun Lin, Yen-Ta Chen

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Therapeutic advances in drug safety, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.7field-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

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Enhanced Production of Nitrogenated Metabolites with Anticancer Potential inInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2023
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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

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Yu-Chan KangDepartment of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung.
Ming-Hong ChenDepartment of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung.
Chung-Ying LinInstitute of Allied Health Sciences, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan.
Chih-Yun LinBiostatistics Center, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung.
Yen-Ta ChenDivision of Urology, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, No.123, Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung District, Kaohsiung City 83301.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3046-6675
Chang Gung University · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe risk of primary aristolochic acid (AA)-associated urothelial carcinoma (AA-UC) has been summarized by a 2013-published meta-analysis. Given that additional evidence has been continuously reported by original studies, an updated meta-analysis is needed. Meanwhile, to complete the whole picture, a systematic review of molecular alterations observed in AA-urinary tract cancers (AA-UTC) was also performed.

methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase and four Chinese databases up to October 2020. Observational studies comparing risk or oncologic outcomes of UTC between patients with and without AA exposure were eligible for systematic review and meta-analysis. Studies investigating molecular alterations in AA-UTC using human tissue samples were eligible for systematic review.

resultsIn total, 38 and 20 studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively. Exposure to AA led to an overall increased risks of primary UTC [UC and renal cell carcinoma (RCC)] (OR 6.085, 95% CI 3.045-12.160) and postoperatively recurrent UC (RR 1.831, 95% CI 1.528-2.194). Subgroup analysis of postoperative primary AA-upper tract UC (AA-UTUC) showed increased risks of bladder recurrence (adjusted RR 1.949, 95% CI 1.462-2.597) and contralateral UTUC recurrence (crude RR 3.760, 95% CI 2.225-6.353), worse overall survival (adjusted HR 2.025, 95% CI 1.432-2.865) and worse disease-specific survival (adjusted HR 3.061, 95% CI 1.190-7.872), but no effect on cancer-specific survival (adjusted HR 0.772, 95% CI 0.269-2.215). High mutation load with AA mutational signature presenting largely in the putative driver genes was observed in AA-UTUC. In contrast, AA mutational signature is rarely found in the mutated RCC driver genes and the mutation load in AA-RCC is low. Therefore, AA has different roles in the genesis of UTUC and RCC.

conclusionsImplementing effective strategies to completely protect people from exposure to AA is urgently needed. Additionally, more effort should be made in identifying the precise carcinogenic mechanisms of AA to determine the future treatment strategies. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY:

Indexed as

aristolochic acidbladder recurrencecontralateral upper tract urothelial carcinoma recurrencemolecular alterationsoncologic outcomesupdated meta-analysisupdated systematic reviewupper tract urothelial carcinomaurothelial carcinoma

Identifiers

PMID33815744
PMCPMC7989132
OpenAlexW3137941397

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.