ArticleRadiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology2026
Individual patient-reported symptom items discriminate imaging-graded dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy: secondary analysis of pooled prospective studies.
Article in Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Clinical utility of voluntary cough peak expiratory flow outcomes to screen aspiration status in head and neck cancer survivors.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
background and purposeTo determine clinically actionable thresholds for the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck (MDASI-HN) -Swallow and -Choke items by comparing discriminant capacity against imaging-based markers of dysphagia in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy (RT). MATERIALS AND
methodsA retrospective secondary analysis used single-institution prospective registries of HNC patients treated with RT who completed the MDASI-HN and a modified barium swallow (MBS) before, during, or after RT. The DynamicImaging Grade ofSwallowing Toxicity(DIGEST) overall (D), efficiency (E), and safety (S) scores were compared to a priori-defined (≥6) and data-driven thresholds using binomial regression. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using sensitivity (SN), specificity (SP), PPV and NPV, using DIGEST D, E, S ≥ 1 (any impairment) and ≥ 2 (moderate-severe) as reference standards.
resultsAmong 264 patients (mean age 62; 87 % male; 47 % nasopharyngeal cancer; 55 % post-RT), -Swallow ≥ 6 was associated with D ≥ 1 and D ≥ 2 (RRs = 1.8-2.6, p < 0.05), showing high SP (92-95 %) but low SN (23-30 %). -Choke ≥ 6 demonstrated stronger associations for D ≥ 2 (RR = 3.5, p < 0.05), and similar SN/SP tradeoffs. Data-driven thresholds improved accuracy: for D ≥ 1, a combined threshold (-Swallow or -Choke) ≥ 2 yielded SN 77 %, SP 64 %; for D ≥ 2, -Choke ≥ 1 showed SN 85 %, SP 69 %, while -Choke ≥ 2 increased SP to 84 %. For aspiration risk (S ≥ 2), -Choke ≥ 1 had SN 88 %, SP 66 %; -Choke ≥ 2 improved SP to 83 %.
conclusionMDASI-Swallow and -Choke correlate with imaging-based dysphagia. While ≥ 6 may flag moderate-severe impairment, lower thresholds (≥1-2) offer better sensitivity, supporting early detection. Combined thresholds may enhance screening and guide survivorship care.
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.