Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38201507›Full record

ArticleCancers2023

Low Post-Treatment Quality of Life and the High Incidence of Pain Are Common and Significantly Exacerbated in Depressed Head and Neck Patients Treated with Definitive Accelerated Radiotherapy.

Alicja Heyda, Dorota Księżniak-Baran, Andrzej Wygoda, Krzysztof Składowski

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, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 22% 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, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Alicja Heyda1st Radiation and Clinical Oncology Department, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology Gliwice Branch, 44-102 Gliwice, Poland.
Dorota Księżniak-Baran1st Radiation and Clinical Oncology Department, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology Gliwice Branch, 44-102 Gliwice, Poland.
Andrzej Wygoda1st Radiation and Clinical Oncology Department, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology Gliwice Branch, 44-102 Gliwice, Poland.
Krzysztof Składowski1st Radiation and Clinical Oncology Department, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology Gliwice Branch, 44-102 Gliwice, Poland.
The Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology · PL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

(1) Background: The goal of this study is to evaluate psychological tolerance and health-related quality of life (QOL) in head and neck (HN) cancer patients treated with definitive accelerated radiotherapy (DART). (2) Methods: 76 recurrence-free patients eligible for the study, who were treated with DART in the CAIR-2 phase III clinical study (median of follow-up = 47 months), completed EORTC QLQ-C30 with the H&N35 module, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Visual-Analog Scales (VAS) of pain in HN and the neck/arm areas. (3) Results: The most dominant symptoms measured with QLQ-C30 were as follows: fatigue (44/100), sleeplessness (39/100), financial problems (38/100) and pain (32/100). Within the H&N35, the highest scores were reported on the subscales of sticky saliva (60/100), mouth dryness (65/100) and increased intake of painkillers (50/100). Pain (VAS) was reported by 87% (HN area) and 78% (shoulder area) of the patients, with a mean score of 3/10. One-third of the patients reported depressive moods (HADS ≥ 15 points) with an average score of 12.5/42 p. The depressed group, who smoked more as compared to the non-depressed group before DART (96% vs. 78%) and required steroids treatment (85% vs. 58%) during DART, also scored significantly worse on 23 of the 35 subscales of QLQ-C30 and H&N35 and experienced more intense pain (VAS). Women and less-advanced patients scored better in several aspects of quality of life. (4) Conclusions: Patients treated with DART struggle with low quality of life and persistent treatment-related symptoms including constant pain. HNC survivors, especially those who are depressed, may require additional psychosocial, rehabilitation and medical intervention programmes.

Indexed as

chronic paindefinitive accelerated radiotherapydepressionhead and neck cancerquality of life

Identifiers

PMID38201507
PMCPMC10777976
OpenAlexW4390175117

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.