Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39548176›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2024

Pretreatment neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic factor in recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer treated with pembrolizumab.

Yuki Kasahara, Ken Saijo, Reio Ueta, Ryunosuke Numakura, Keiju Sasaki, Yuya Yoshida, Sakura Taniguchi, Kota Ouchi, Keigo Komine, Hiroo Imai and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Prognostic Significance of the Pretreatment Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Tumor-Associated Neutrophils in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of oral pathology & medicine : official publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
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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.

Yuki KasaharaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Ken SaijoDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Reio UetaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Ryunosuke NumakuraDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Keiju SasakiDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Yuya YoshidaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Sakura TaniguchiDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Kota OuchiDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Keigo KomineDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Hiroo ImaiDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Hidekazu ShirotaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Masanobu TakahashiDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan.
Chikashi IshiokaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Tohoku University Hospital, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8575, Japan. chikashi@tohoku.ac.jp.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pembrolizumab-containing regimens are the standard first-line treatment for recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M HNSCC). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) have been reported to be important prognostic factors in a variety of carcinomas, but none have been investigated in combination with pembrolizumab and chemotherapy or in first-line treatment. Seventy-four patients with R/M HNSCC received pembrolizumab-containing regimens at Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan, from April 2020 to March 2023. Patient characteristics, tumor response, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and laboratory findings were reviewed. Associations between NLR, CAR, and survival outcomes were analyzed. The 1-year OS and 1-year PFS rates were 60.4% and 18.1%, respectively. The disease control rate was 66.2%. In multivariate analysis, low NLR (< 5) was significantly associated with better OS and PFS. NLR may be a predictive factor for OS and PFS in patients with R/M HNSCC treated with a pembrolizumab-containing regimen.

Indexed as

Antibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedHead and Neck NeoplasmsLymphocytesNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalNeutrophilsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalFemaleHumansLymphocyte CountMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm MetastasisPrognosisAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalpembrolizumabCARHead and neck cancerNLRPembrolizumabPredictive factor

Identifiers

PMID39548176
PMCPMC11568322

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.