ReviewOTO open
Impact of Scar on Quality of Life in Well-Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: A Systematic Review.
Review in OTO open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Add-on benefits of botulinum toxin type A in combination or sequential therapies for scar management: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- Endoscopic thyroidectomy via the submental approach: a balanced approach to aesthetics, safety, and recovery- a case series study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Trial
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: Remote access techniques in thyroid surgery have been developed to improve cosmetic outcomes, based on the presumed impact of surgical scars on patients' quality of life (QoL). This systematic review aimed to evaluate the impact of surgical scars on the overall QoL of patients who have undergone thyroidectomy for low-risk thyroid carcinoma. The review focuses on the rank of scar-related QoL issues relative to other aspects assessed by validated QoL instruments. Data Sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, LILACS, Google Scholar (no language or time restrictions). Review Methods: A systematic review was conducted for original articles using validated QoL instruments with scar-related domains in thyroid cancer patients who had undergone OT. Study quality was assessed using the JBI critical appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies. Data were analyzed from 14 patient groups across 9 studies, representing 3658 patients. Results: In 12 of 14 samples, scar-related issues ranked lower than sixth place in QoL assessments, with 7 samples placing scar-related items at the lowest position. The Thyca-Qol questionnaire was the most commonly used tool, though most studies had limitations, including selection and recall biases. However, across geographically and culturally diverse populations, scar-related concerns consistently ranked lower in importance compared to other QoL factors. Conclusions: The impact of surgical scars on QoL in thyroid cancer survivors is low, with scar-related items ranking among the least significant issues. Remote access techniques designed primarily for cosmetic outcomes should demonstrate additional benefits to justify their use.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.