Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39571552›Full record

ArticleOncology2025

Metastatic Patterns: Insights from Japanese Pathological Autopsy Registry Analysis.

Tomohiko Hara, Suguru Oka, Shinji Ito, Takeshi Yamaguchi, Michikata Hayashida, Kazushige Sakaguchi, Shinji Urakami

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Observational
  2. 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.

Tomohiko HaraOffice of Research Administration, Center for Regulatory Science, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, Tokyo, Japan.
Suguru OkaDepartment of Urology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Shinji ItoDepartment of Pathology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Takeshi YamaguchiDepartment of Medical Oncology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Michikata HayashidaDepartment of Urology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Kazushige SakaguchiDepartment of Urology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Shinji UrakamiDepartment of Urology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionUnderstanding the metastatic patterns is crucial for the treatment of malignancies. This study aimed to identify the characteristic organ metastases of primary malignancies, including rare malignancies, and classify them according to their metastatic patterns.

methodsWe extracted data on primary malignancies and organ metastases from the Annual of Pathological Autopsy Cases in Japan recorded in 1993-2021. Autopsy findings of the primary and metastatic organs in patients with malignancy were recorded on an organ-by-organ basis. The metastatic frequency (number of metastases per autopsy) and the proportion (percentage of organs with metastases out of the total in a primary malignancy) for 48 organ metastasis sites across 76 primary malignancies were calculated. Metastatic patterns were classified into hierarchical and nonhierarchical clustering classifications based on the standard proportion of organ metastases.

resultsA total of 332,195 autopsy cases and 810,206 organ metastases were analyzed. The metastatic frequency of all malignancies was 2.44. Malignancies of the placenta, eye, and ovary showed a higher propensity for metastasis, whereas central nervous system malignancies showed a lower tendency. Metastasis site was a characteristic of each malignancy, with a particularly high proportion of lung metastasis in parathyroid malignancy and bone metastasis in prostate malignancy. In the hierarchical and nonhierarchical cluster methods, brain, lung, liver, bone, peritoneum, and hematolymphoid organ were key metastatic sites, and this factor divided primary malignancies into seven categories. The unweighted kappa coefficient comparing the two classification methods was 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.75-0.93). The proportion of metastatic organs was influenced by anatomical location and/or organ specificity of the primary malignancies.

conclusionOur study provides a comprehensive overview of the patterns and frequencies of metastatic organ sites associated with 76 primary malignancies. Our findings will provide useful information for future research and clinical practice.

Indexed as

Neoplasm MetastasisNeoplasmsAgedAutopsyEast Asian PeopleFemaleHumansJapanMaleMiddle AgedRegistriesAutopsyEpidemiologyNeoplasm metastasisNeoplasmsPathologyRare diseasesRegistry

Identifiers

PMID39571552
PMCPMC12324694

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