Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40652069›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Clinical and molecular characterizations of HNSCC patients with occult lymph node metastasis.

Yicun Li, Yun Wu, Xiaolian Li, Yuntao Lin, Yuling Chen, Hongyu Yang, Yuehong Shen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing 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

8 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

7 authors.

Yicun Li *Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518035, China.
Yun Wu *Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518035, China.
Xiaolian LiDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518035, China.
Yuntao LinDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518035, China.
Yuling ChenDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518035, China.
Hongyu YangDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518035, China. yanghongyu@pkuszh.com.
Yuehong ShenDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518035, China. yuehongshen@hotmail.com.

Funding

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation 2021M702222National Natural Science Foundation of China 82273379Scientific Research Foundation of Peking University Shenzhen Hospital KYQD2023253Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Program SGDX20210823103200005
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) poses a global health challenge. The management of HNSCC is complicated by the difficulty in detecting occult lymph node metastases, leading to dilemmas in elective neck dissection decisions, which will impair patients' quality of life without improving survival for nodal negative patients. We conducted a comparative analysis of the clinical features, genomic alterations, gene expression and methylation, tumor microenvironment and cellular states between the clinically N0 and pathologically N0 (cN0-pN0) patients and occult lymph node metastatic patients. Patients with occult lymph node metastases typically present with more poorly differentiated primary tumors and higher rates of angiolymphatic and perineural invasion. We identified a distinctive genomic mutation spectrum in the primary tumors of patients with occult metastases, notably in genes such as NSD1, ARHGAP15 and SMARCA4. A whole-genome DNA hypomethylation and altered gene expression profiles are identified in occult lymph node metastatic patients. Analysis of the tumor microenvironment revealed an enrichment of CARNS1 + NK cells and CBX1 + tumor cells in occult metastatic patients. In conclusion, patients with occult lymph node metastases exhibit distinct molecular and clinical features compared with cN0-pN0 patients.

Indexed as

Head and Neck NeoplasmsLymphatic MetastasisSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckAgedDNA HelicasesDNA MethylationFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHistone-Lysine N-MethyltransferaseHumansMaleMiddle AgedMutationNuclear ProteinsTranscription FactorsDNA HelicasesHistone-Lysine N-MethyltransferaseNSD1 protein, humanNuclear ProteinsSMARCA4 protein, humanTranscription FactorsGenomic alterationHead and neck squamous cell carcinomaOccult lymph node metastasisTumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID40652069
PMCPMC12255718

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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.