Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38753207›Full record

ArticleDysphagia2025

Dysphagia in Head and Neck Radiotherapy: The Influence of Pharyngeal Constrictor Anatomy and Dosimetry.

Owen Paetkau, Sarah Weppler, Jaime Kwok, Harvey C Quon, Wendy Smith, Ekaterina Tchistiakova, Charles Kirkby

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Dysphagia, 2025. 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
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

  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.

Owen PaetkauDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, #5 721 13th Ave SW, Calgary, AB, T2R 0K8, Canada. owen.paetkau@albertahealthservices.ca.ORCID 0000-0001-8656-8593
Sarah WepplerTom Baker Cancer Center, 1331 29 St NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N2, Canada.
Jaime KwokTom Baker Cancer Center, 1331 29 St NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N2, Canada.
Harvey C QuonTom Baker Cancer Center, 1331 29 St NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N2, Canada.
Wendy SmithVarian Medical Systems - A Siemens Healthineers Company, Palo Alto, US.
Ekaterina TchistiakovaDivision of Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, 1331 29 St NW, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Charles KirkbyDivision of Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, 1331 29 St NW, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Funding

Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions Alberta Innovates - Health SolutionsKillam Trusts Killam TrustsNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The goal of this study was to identify which anatomical and dosimetric changes correlated with late patient-reported dysphagia throughout the course of head and neck chemo-radiotherapy treatment. The patient cohort (n = 64) considered oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal patients treated with curative intent, exhibiting no baseline dysphagia with a follow-up time greater than one year. Patients completed the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory during a follow-up visit. A composite score was measured ranging from 20 to 100, with a low score indicating a high symptom burden; a score ≤60 indicated patient-reported dysphagia. The pharyngeal (PCM) and cricopharyngeal constrictor muscles (CPM) were contoured on a planning CT image and adapted to weekly cone-beam CT anatomy using deformable image registration and dose was accumulated using weighted dose-volume histogram curves. The PCM and CPM were examined for volume, thickness, and dosimetric changes across treatment with the results correlated to symptom group. Anatomical evaluation indicated the PCM thickness increased more during treatment for patients with dysphagia, with base of C2 vertebrae (p = 0.04) and superior-inferior middle PCM (p = 0.01) thicknesses indicating a 1.0-1.5 mm increase. The planned and delivered mean dose and DVH metrics to PCM and CPM were found to be within random error measured for the dose accumulation, indicating delivered and planned dose are equivalent. The PCM and CPM organs were found to lie approximately 5 mm closer to high dose gradients in patients exhibiting dysphagia. The volume, thickness, and high dose gradient metrics may be useful metrics to identify patients at risk of late patient-reported dysphagia.

Indexed as

Deglutition DisordersHead and Neck NeoplasmsPharyngeal MusclesPharynxAdultAgedCone-Beam Computed TomographyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRadiotherapy DosageDysphagiaMDADIPatient-reportedPharyngeal constrictor musclesRadiotherapy

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.