Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41681823›Full record

ArticleCancers2026

Outcomes of Near-Infrared Photoimmunotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Hiroaki Tahara, Tsutomu Ueda, Takayoshi Hattori, Minoru Hattori, Yuki Sato, Nobuyuki Chikuie, Takayuki Taruya, Takao Hamamoto, Takashi Ishino, Sachio Takeno

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The emerging landscape for next-generation HNSCC treatment.Trends in pharmacological sciences · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
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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

10 authors.

Hiroaki TaharaDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3 Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
Tsutomu UedaDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3 Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.ORCID 0000-0001-9771-3880
Takayoshi HattoriDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3 Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.ORCID 0009-0008-6568-6855
Minoru HattoriCenter for Medical Education, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-7478-0033
Yuki SatoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3 Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
Nobuyuki ChikuieDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3 Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
Takayuki TaruyaDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3 Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-5873-9946
Takao HamamotoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3 Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.ORCID 0000-0001-9728-1264
Takashi IshinoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3 Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-0646-0839
Sachio TakenoDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3 Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-9853-2501

Funding

JSPS KAKENHI 24K12675
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesNear-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) represents a treatment approach for patients with locally advanced or recurrent head and neck cancers who are unsuitable for surgery post-standard therapy. Since its introduction in Japan in January 2021, NIR-PIT has been available exclusively under the national health insurance system, resulting in limited real-world clinical practice data. This study evaluated the association between NIR-PIT and overall survival (OS) in clinical practice.

methodsThis single-center retrospective study included 45 patients with head and neck cancer who were not amenable to surgical resection owing to advanced local disease or regional recurrence without distant metastasis and who underwent NIR-PIT or systemic pharmacotherapy between January 2021 and April 2025. The primary endpoint was OS.

resultsTwenty-two and 23 patients received NIR-PIT and pharmacotherapy, respectively. In the NIR-PIT group, irradiation was delivered to primary tumors in 20 patients, cervical lymph node lesions in one, and both primary and lymph node lesions in one. The median OS was 35 and 8 months, with median follow-up of 40 and 49 months in the NIR-PIT and pharmacotherapy groups, respectively. Among the NIR-PIT-eligible patients, 22 and 10 were treated with NIR-PIT and pharmacotherapy, respectively. The median OS was 35 and 8 months, with median follow-up of 40 and 24 months in the NIR-PIT and pharmacotherapy groups, respectively.

conclusionsNIR-PIT was independently associated with improved OS in patients with unresectable recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer without distant metastasis. Prospective multicenter studies are warranted to validate these findings.

Indexed as

cetuximab sarotalocan sodiumhead and neck cancernear-infrared photoimmunotherapyunresectable

Identifiers

PMID41681823
PMCPMC12896801

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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.