ArticleBMC cancer2021
Real-world study of the impact of recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN) on quality of life and productivity in Europe.
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 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Caregiver burden, anxiety, and quality-of-life among informal caregivers of patient with head and neck cancer: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic literature review of the human papillomavirus prevalence in locally and regionally advanced and recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancers through the last decade: The "ALARM" study.Cancer medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Caregiver Burden in Head and Neck Cancer: The Combined Impact of Clinical Complexity and Psychological Distress.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Nerves at Play: The Peripheral Nervous System in Extracranial Malignancies.Cancer discovery · 2025Review
- Real-World Healthcare Resource Use Associated with Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer Patients Care in Portugal-TRACE Study.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2024Article
- Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Quality of Life Aspects in Patients with Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC).Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Expanding the role of combined immunochemotherapy and immunoradiotherapy in the management of head and neck cancer (Review).Oncology letters · 2023Review
- Multimodality treatment in recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck: current therapy, challenges, and future perspectives.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Review
- Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy-Current Practice and Future Perspectives for Recurrent/Metastatic Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlthough current therapy for patients with early-stage squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is potentially curative, the recurrence rate is high. Patients with recurrent or metastatic (R/M) SCCHN have a poor prognosis and substantial disease burden, including impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL), productivity loss and indirect costs, such as need for caregiver support. The aim of this study was to characterize the impact of R/M SCCHN and its first-line treatment on patient and caregiver quality of life, daily activities and work productivity using real-world evidence from Europe.
methodsThis was a multicentre retrospective study of patients with R/M SCCHN in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom incorporating patient and caregiver surveys, and a physician-reported medical chart review, conducted between January and May 2019. Patients aged 18 or over with a physician confirmed diagnosis R/M SCCHN completed four validated measures of disease activity and its impact on quality of life and work productivity, while caregivers also completed questionnaire to assess the burden of providing care. Physicians provided data for clinical characteristics, patient management, testing history and treatment patterns.
resultsA total of 195 medical/clinical oncologists provided data for 937, predominantly male (72%) patients, with almost half of patients aged over 65 years. The most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue (43%), weight loss (40%), pain (35%) and difficulty swallowing (32%). The EXTREME regimen was the most common first line therapy in over half of patients, who reported moderate or extreme pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, and problems with self-care resulting in a diminished health status compared with the general population. Only 14% were employed with high absenteeism or presenteeism, and over half of patients had a caregiver for whom the burden of care was substantial.
conclusionOur results provide real-world insight into the multi-faceted burden associated with R/M SCCHN. The combination of poor HRQoL and the impairment in daily activities, social life and employment illustrates the wider impact of R/M SCCHN on patients and their caregivers, and highlights a need for novel 1 L treatment regimens to improve the humanistic and productivity burdens of this cancer.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.