Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37706634›Full record

SynthesisCancer medicine2023

Perioperative opioids and survival outcomes in resectable head and neck cancer: A systematic review.

Eric V Mastrolonardo, Derek S Mann, Harleen K Sethi, Bo H Yun, Elliott M Sina, Maria Armache, Brooke Worster, Christopher E Fundakowski, Leila J Mady

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic ReviewReview
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cancer medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
0.7field-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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Unveiling Prescribing Patterns: A Systematic Review of Chronic Opioid Prescriptions After Head and Neck Cancer Surgeries.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  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

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Eric V MastrolonardoDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2869-8848
Derek S MannDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Harleen K SethiDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Bo H YunDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Elliott M SinaDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Maria ArmacheDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Brooke WorsterDepartment of Hospice and Palliative Care, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6687-1760
Christopher E FundakowskiDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Leila J MadyDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital · USJohns Hopkins University · USPhiladelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOpioids are a mainstay in pain control for oncologic surgery. The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the associations of perioperative opioid use with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with resectable head and neck cancer (HNC).

methodsA systematic review of PubMed, SCOPUS, and CINAHL between 2000 and 2022 was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies investigating perioperative opioid use for patients with HNC undergoing surgical resection and its association with OS and DFS were included.

resultsThree thousand three hundred seventy-eight studies met initial inclusion criteria, and three studies representing 562 patients (intraoperative opioids, n = 463; postoperative opioids, n = 99) met final exclusion criteria. One study identified that high intraoperative opioid requirement in oral cancer surgery was associated with decreased OS (HR = 1.77, 95% CI 0.995-3.149) but was not an independent predictor of decreased DFS. Another study found that increased intraoperative opioid requirements in treating laryngeal cancer was demonstrated to have a weak but statistically significant inverse relationship with DFS (HR = 1.001, p = 0.02) and OS (HR = 1.001, p = 0.02). The last study identified that patients with chronic opioid after resection of oral cavity cancer had decreased DFS (HR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.1-6.6) compared to those who were not chronically using opioids postoperatively.

conclusionAn association may exist between perioperative opioid use and OS and DFS in patients with resectable HNC. Additional investigation is required to further delineate this relationship and promote appropriate stewardship of opioid use with adjunctive nonopioid analgesic regimens.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidHead and Neck NeoplasmsPostoperative PainDisease-Free SurvivalHumansPerioperative CareAnalgesics, Opioidcancer managementclinical managementhead and neck cancersurvival

Identifiers

PMID37706634
PMCPMC10557889
OpenAlexW4386726152

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.