Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38181315›Full record

ArticleJCO global oncology2024

Outcome of Hypofractionated Palliative Radiotherapy Regimens for Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer in Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Ethiopia: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Girum Tessema Zingeta, Yohannes Tesfaye Worku, Munir Awol, Edom Seife Woldetsadik, Mathewos Assefa, Tsion Zebdios Chama, Jilcha Diribi Feyisa, Hawi Furgassa Bedada, Mohammed Ibrahim Adem, Tariku Mengesha and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JCO global oncology, 2024. 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
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 14% 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. Cancer Pain: Radiotherapy as a Double-Edged Sword.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    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

11 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Girum Tessema ZingetaDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0003-0272-8460
Yohannes Tesfaye WorkuDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Munir AwolDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0001-5889-2716
Edom Seife WoldetsadikDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0003-0405-5474
Mathewos AssefaDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0002-6452-8846
Tsion Zebdios ChamaDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0009-0009-2060-5238
Jilcha Diribi FeyisaDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0002-5344-5340
Hawi Furgassa BedadaDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0002-5723-7274
Mohammed Ibrahim AdemDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Tariku MengeshaSt Peter Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Rebecca WongPrincess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Addis Ababa University · ETSt. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College · ETDartmouth College · USUniversity of Toronto · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeHead and neck cancers (HNCs) are the third most commonly treated cancer with radiation in Ethiopia. Most patients present with advanced stage and are not candidates for curative treatment. The objective of our study is to assess the outcome of hypofractionated palliative radiotherapy (RT) for advanced HNCs in a resource-limited setting. MATERIALS AND

methodsPatients with histology-proven advanced HNC candidates for hypofractionated palliative RT were enrolled. Three regimens were allowed: 44.4 Gy in 12 fractions, 30 Gy in 10 fractions, and 20 Gy in five fractions. Response to treatment was assessed at baseline and at 4 weeks after treatment completion. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to measure the survival.

resultsBetween January 2022 and January 2023, 52 patients were enrolled and 25 patients were eligible for outcome assessment. Index symptoms include pain, bleeding, dysphagia, respiratory distress, and others in 25, 13, 10, 6, and 17 patients, respectively. Complete relief of the top three symptoms include pain in 52% of patients, hemostasis in 84% of patients, and dysphagia in 30% of patients. Objectively, 64% of patients attained partial response. For 48% of patients, their quality of life (QoL) improved in one parameter of the physical scores. Moreover, 64% of patients showed improvement in three parameters. The global functional score improved in 80% of patients. One patient had grade 3 xerostomia. At the end of the study period, 44% of patients died. The median survival after radiation was 9 months (95% CI, 7.2 to 10.8).

conclusionAll palliative hypofractionated regimens used were effective in terms of symptom control, tumor response rate, and QoL, and were well tolerated. This makes it appropriate for our setup because the majority of patients require palliation.

Indexed as

Deglutition DisordersHead and Neck NeoplasmsEthiopiaHospitalsHumansPainProspective StudiesQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID38181315
PMCPMC10793978
OpenAlexW4390604850

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.