Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33897693›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in immunology2021

Programmed Death-1/Programmed Death-Ligand 1-Axis Blockade in Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Stratified by Human Papillomavirus Status: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Yimin Xu, Gangcai Zhu, Christopher A Maroun, Irene X Y Wu, Donghai Huang, Tanguy Y Seiwert, Yong Liu, Rajarsi Mandal, Xin Zhang

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in immunology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
5.0field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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

38 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Oncoviruses in Solid Tumors.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2026
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Targeted Drug Nanodelivery and Immunotherapy for Combating Tumor Resistance.Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening · 2025
    Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. A Review of Immunotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer.Journal of dental research · 2024
    Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  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

9 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Yimin XuDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Gangcai ZhuDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Christopher A MarounDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
Irene X Y WuDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Donghai HuangDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Tanguy Y SeiwertBloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
Yong LiuDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Rajarsi MandalDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
Xin ZhangDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Xiangya Hospital Central South University · CNSidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center · USBloomberg (United States) · USCentral South University · CNHunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention · CNJohns Hopkins Medicine · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors have provided clinical benefit to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients in recent clinical trials. However, it remains unclear as to whether human papillomavirus (HPV) status is associated with improved clinical outcome of anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in HNSCC. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were systematically searched up to February 28, 2021. Published clinical trials of HNSCC patients treated with only PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors were selected. The primary or secondary outcome of these studies included objective response rate (ORR) stratified by HPV status. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) were estimated using a fixed-effect model. Results: A total of seven eligible studies comprising 814 patients were included. The ORR of HPV positive HNSCC patients was significantly higher than that of HPV negative HNSCC patients (OR = 1.77; 95%CI = 1.14-2.74; Conclusions: HPV positive HNSCC patients display improved outcomes with PD-1/PD-L1 axis blockade as compared to HPV negative HNSCC patients. These improved outcomes are likely driven to a greater extent by anti-PD-L1 inhibitors. However, randomized controlled trials with greater numbers of patients are needed for validation of these early findings.

Indexed as

B7-H1 AntigenHead and Neck NeoplasmsImmunotherapyNeoplasm ProteinsPapillomavirus InfectionsProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckAlphapapillomavirusClinical Trials as TopicHumansImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsSignal TransductionB7-H1 AntigenCD274 protein, humanImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsNeoplasm ProteinsPDCD1 protein, humanProgrammed Cell Death 1 Receptoranti-PD-1anti-PD-L1head and neck squamous cell carcinomahuman papilloma virusimmune checkpoint blockade

Identifiers

PMID33897693
PMCPMC8058384
OpenAlexW3141004240

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.