Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34176249›Full record

ArticleCancer research and treatment2022

Radiotherapy versus Surgery in Early-Stage HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer.

Dong-Yun Kim, Hong-Gyun Wu, Jin Ho Kim, Joo Ho Lee, Soon-Hyun Ahn, Eun-Jae Chung, Keun-Yong Eom, Young Ho Jung, Woo-Jin Jeong, Tack-Kyun Kwon and 2 more

Open access · diamondAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer research and treatment, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 22% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Does Smoking Influence Outcomes in Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer Treated with Transoral Robotic Surgery?Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
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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

12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Dong-Yun KimDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Hong-Gyun WuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Jin Ho KimDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Joo Ho LeeDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Soon-Hyun AhnDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Eun-Jae ChungDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Keun-Yong EomDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Young Ho JungDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Woo-Jin JeongDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Tack-Kyun KwonDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Suzy KimDepartment of Radiation Oncology, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Chan Woo WeeDepartment of Radiation Oncology, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Seoul National University Hospital · KRSeoul National University Bundang Hospital · KRSNUH SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center · KR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aimed to compare the outcomes of primary radiotherapy (RT) versus surgery in early-stage human papilloma virus-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (hpv+OPC), and investigate the preoperative clinical factors that can predict the requirement for postoperative adjuvant treatment. MATERIALS AND

methodsThis multicenter study included 166 patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition-Stages I-II hpv+OPC. Sixty (36.1%) and 106 (63.9%) patients underwent primary (concurrent chemo)radiotherapy [(CC)RT] and surgery, respectively. Seventy-eight patients (73.6%) in the surgery group received postoperative (CC)RT.

resultsWith a median follow-up of 45.6 months for survivors, the 2-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and locoregional control (LC) for RT/surgery were 97.8%/96.4%, 91.1%/92.0%, and 92.9%/93.3%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, patients with synchronous radiologic extranodal extension and conglomeration (ENEcong) of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) showed significantly poorer OS (p=0.047), PFS (p=0.001), and LC (p=0.003). In patients undergoing primary surgery, two or more clinically positive LN metastases (odds ratio [OR], 5.15; p=0.004) and LN metastases with ENEcong (OR, 3.75; p=0.009) were predictors of postoperative chemoradiotherapy. No patient in the primary RT group demonstrated late severe toxicity whereas three (2.8%), one (0.9%), and one (0.9%) patient in the surgery group showed grade 3 dysphagia, grade 3 xerostomia, and fatal oral cavity bleeding.

conclusionWe found no differences in OS, PFS, and LC between upfront RT and surgery in stage I-II hpv+OPC which warrants comparison through a prospective trial in the treatment de-escalation era. However, most early-stage hpv+OPC patients undergoing surgery received adjuvant (CC)RT. Pretreatment LN findings were prognostic and predictive for adjuvant treatment.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Squamous CellHead and Neck NeoplasmsOropharyngeal NeoplasmsPapillomavirus InfectionsHumansPapillomaviridaeProspective StudiesSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckGeneral surgeryHPVHPV-positive oropharyngeal cancerOropharynxRadiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID34176249
PMCPMC9016308
OpenAlexW3175328970

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.