Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37174008›Full record

ArticleCancers2023

Radiotherapy-Dose Escalated for Large Volume Primary Tumors-And Cetuximab with or without Induction Chemotherapy for HPV Associated Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck-A Randomized Phase II Trial.

Claes Mercke, Gun Wickart-Johansson, Helena Sjödin, Pedro Farrajota Neves da Silva, Gabriella Alexandersson von Döbeln, Gregori Margolin, Sara Jonmarker Jaraj, Hanna Carstens, Anders Berglund, Ingmar Lax and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 21% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. A systematic review and network meta-analysis of therapies for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with different HPV status.Acta otorhinolaryngologica Italica : organo ufficiale della Societa italiana di otorinolaringologia e chirurgia cervico-facciale · 2025
    Review
  3. 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

13 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Claes MerckeTheme Cancer, Medical Unit Head&Neck, Lung and Skin Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
Gun Wickart-JohanssonTheme Cancer, Medical Unit Head&Neck, Lung and Skin Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
Helena SjödinTheme Cancer, Medical Unit Head&Neck, Lung and Skin Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
Pedro Farrajota Neves da SilvaClinical Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital and Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
Gabriella Alexandersson von DöbelnTheme Cancer, Medical Unit Head&Neck, Lung and Skin Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-3612-725X
Gregori MargolinTheme Cancer, Medical Unit Head&Neck, Lung and Skin Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
Sara Jonmarker JarajDepartment of Neuroradiology, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
Hanna CarstensTheme Cancer, Medical Unit Head&Neck, Lung and Skin Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
Anders BerglundEpistat Epidemiology and Statistics, 75440 Uppsala, Sweden.
Ingmar LaxDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
Mats HellströmTheme Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
Lalle Hammarstedt-NordenvallTheme Cancer, Medical Unit Head&Neck, Lung and Skin Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-1660-9737
Signe FrieslandTheme Cancer, Medical Unit Head&Neck, Lung and Skin Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0001-8118-1066
Karolinska University Hospital · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The leading cause of death for patients with HPV associated squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) after treatment with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) nowadays is peripheral metastasis. This study investigated whether induction chemotherapy (IC) could improve progression free survival (PFS) and impact on relapse pattern after CRT.

methodsEligible patients in this multicenter, randomized, controlled, phase 2 trial had p16-positive locoregionally advanced SCCHN. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either RT with cetuximab (arm B) versus the same regimen preceded by two cycles of taxotere/cisplatin/5-FU (arm A). The RT dose was escalated to 74.8 Gy for large volume primary tumors. Eligibility criteria included patients of 18-75 years, an ECOG performance status 0-1, and adequate organ functions.

resultsFrom January 2011 to February 2016, 152 patients, all with oropharyngeal tumors were enrolled, 77 in arm A and 75 in arm B. Two patients, one in each group, withdrew their consent after randomization, leaving 150 patients for the ITT analysis. PFS at 2 years was 84.2% (95% CI 76.4-92.8) in arm A and 78.4% (95% CI 69.5-88.3) in arm B (HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.69-2.79,

conclusionsPFS, locoregional control and toxicity did not differ between the two arms, OS was high, and there were few local relapses. In arm B, more than twice as many patients had distant metastasis as the first site of relapse compared to arm A. The response to IC was found to define 29% of patients in arm A who did not have a tumor relapse during follow-up. An escalated dose of 74.8 Gy could mitigate the negative impact of large tumor volume but for some patients, even this intensified treatment was insufficient.

Indexed as

distant metastaseshead and neck cancerradiobiologyradiosensitizerradiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID37174008
PMCPMC10177265
OpenAlexW4367311175

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.