SynthesisThe Laryngoscope2025
Delayed Postoperative Radiotherapy in Head & Neck Cancers-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in The Laryngoscope, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mechanisms Underlying an Enhanced Navigation-Based Intervention to Improve Timely Adjuvant Therapy: A Secondary Analysis of the NDURE Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery · 2026Trial
- A Discharge Summary Prompt Reduces Postoperative Radiotherapy Delay in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.Head & neck · 2026Article
- Perioperative immunotherapy in resectable HNSCC: biological rationale to practical multidisciplinary implementation.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Barriers and Timely Postoperative Radiation Therapy in Head and Neck Cancer.JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo evaluate the impact of delayed postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) on overall survival (OS) in patients with head and neck cancers (HNC). DATA SOURCES: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted by searching MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases. REVIEW
methodsStudies assessing the impact of delayed PORT in adult HNC patients were included. A total of 11,171 titles and abstracts were screened, with 52 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted, and a pooled random-effects analysis was performed. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), comparing patients receiving timely PORT (within 42 days) to those with delays.
resultsOf the included studies, 31 were conducted in the United States, with 16 using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Patients who did not receive PORT within 42 days had a 4% increase in mortality (adjusted Hazard Ratio [aHR]: 1.04 [1.03-1.06]; I
conclusionsInitiating PORT within 42 days is significantly associated with decreased mortality in HNC patients, reinforcing CoC recommendations. However, more research is needed to understand the relationship between different time cutoffs and outcomes, and to identify factors contributing to PORT delays. Future studies should explore the impact of treatment delays on patient-centered outcomes, such as Quality of Life (QoL). LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: NA Laryngoscope, 135:1563-1570, 2025.
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Registered trials
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.