Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35478110›Full record

ArticleIn vivo (Athens, Greece)

Moderately Hypofractionated Radiotherapy Without Chemotherapy in Elderly or Frail Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

Anneke Fryen, Iris Brandes, Jörn Wichmann, Hans Christiansen, Frank Tavassol, Martin Durisin, Roland Merten

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in In vivo (Athens, Greece). 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
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 30% 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, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Anneke FryenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany; anneke.fryen@stud.mh-hannover.de.
Iris BrandesDepartment of Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Public Health, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.
Jörn WichmannDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.
Hans ChristiansenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.
Frank TavassolDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.
Martin DurisinDepartment of Otolaryngology, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.
Roland MertenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundComorbidity and frailty are relevant limitations of normofractionated combined radiochemotherapy for squamous cell head and neck cancer (HNSCC), especially in elderly patients. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of moderately hypofractionated radiotherapy (HRT) without chemotherapy in patients ineligible for concurrent radiochemotherapy. PATIENTS AND

methodsBetween 2011 and 2018, 51 elderly/frail patients with HNSCC were treated with either definitive (n=23) or adjuvant (n=28) moderate HRT. A dose of 45 Gy was given to the primary tumour region and cervical nodes with a sequential boost up to 50 in the adjuvant and 55 Gy in the definitive cure setting (2.5 Gy/fraction). Patient outcomes of locoregional control, overall survival, and acute and late toxicity were analysed.

resultsAfter a median follow-up of 6 months for the definitive HRT group and 28.5 months for the adjuvant HRT group, we found a median overall survival of 6 vs. 55 months (log-rank test: p<0.001) and a median locoregional control of 9 months vs. not reached (log-rank test: p=0.008), respectively. The 2-year rates of locoregional control were 28.5% for the definitive HRT group vs. 75.2% for the adjuvant HRT group. No acute or late grade 4-5 toxicity occurred; grade 3 toxicity was rarely documented.

conclusionHRT in elderly/frail patients with HNSCC who are unfit for chemotherapy leads to acceptable local control with moderate toxicity in a short overall treatment time. Especially in the postoperative situation, HRT can be considered an appropriate alternative to normofractionated radio(chemo)therapy. Definitive HRT can be a treatment alternative, especially for multimorbid patients.

Indexed as

Frail ElderlyHead and Neck NeoplasmsAgedHumansRadiation Dose HypofractionationRetrospective StudiesSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neckadjuvant radiotherapydefinitive radiotherapyelderly patientsmoderately hypofractionated radiotherapySquamous cell head and neck cancer

Identifiers

PMID35478110
PMCPMC9087067
OpenAlexW4225088730

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.