Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34182942›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2021

Changes in carnitine levels through induction chemotherapy in head and neck cancer patients as a potential cause of therapy-related malaise.

Tatsuya Ito, Kiyoaki Tsukahara, Hiroki Sato, Akira Shimizu, Isaku Okamoto

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 89% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. 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

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Tatsuya ItoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjyuku, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Kiyoaki TsukaharaDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjyuku, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. tsuka@tokyo-med.ac.jp.
Hiroki SatoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjyuku, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Akira ShimizuDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjyuku, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Isaku OkamotoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjyuku, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Tokyo Medical University · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCarnitine is related to malaise, and cisplatin is associated with decreased carnitine. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of one course of induction chemotherapy (IC) for head and neck cancer on blood carnitine levels, focusing on free carnitine (FC).

methodsThis single-center prospective study investigated 20 patients diagnosed with primary head and neck cancer who underwent IC with cisplatin, docetaxel, and 5-fluorouracil. FC, acylcarnitine (AC), and total carnitine (TC) levels were measured before starting therapy and on Days 7 and 21 after starting IC. In addition, malaise was evaluated before and after therapy using a visual analog scale (VAS).

resultsAll subjects were men and the most common primary cancer site was the hypopharynx (9 patients). FC levels before starting therapy and on Days 7 and 21 were 47.7 ± 2.2 μM/mL, 56.7 ± 2.2 μM/mL, and 41.1 ± 1.9 μM/mL, respectively. Compared with the baseline before starting therapy, FC had significantly decreased on Day 21 (p = 0.007). AC levels before starting therapy and on Days 7 and 21 were 12.5 ± 1.2 μM/mL, 13.6 ± 1.4 μM/mL, and 10.7 ± 0.7 μM/mL, respectively. TC levels before starting therapy and on Days 7 and 21 were 60.2 ± 2.5 μM/mL, 70.2 ± 3.3 μM/mL, and 51.7 ± 2.3 μM/mL, respectively. No significant differences in AC, TC or VAS were seen before the start of therapy and on Day 21.

conclusionsAfter IC, a latent decrease in FC occurred without any absolute deficiency or subjective malaise.

Indexed as

AdultAgedCarnitineCisplatinFatigueHead and Neck NeoplasmsHumansInduction ChemotherapyMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesYoung AdultCarnitineCisplatinCarnitineCisplatinFree carnitineHead and neck cancerInduction chemotherapy

Identifiers

PMID34182942
PMCPMC8237460
OpenAlexW3173922454

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.