Resting heart rate as a prognostic indicator for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Nayuta Tsushima, Satoshi Kano, Takayoshi Suzuki, Hiroshi Idogawa, Masaki Kakumu, Hayato Imanari, Akihiro Homma

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Article in International journal of clinical oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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7 authors.

Nayuta TsushimaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan. tsushima-na@huhp.hokudai.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9856-1054

Satoshi KanoDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan.

Takayoshi SuzukiDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan.

Hiroshi IdogawaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan.

Masaki KakumuDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan.

Hayato ImanariDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan.

Akihiro HommaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundElevated resting heart rate (RHR) has been associated with poor prognosis in various cancers, but its significance in head and neck cancer (HNC) remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of RHR and its association with the incidence of second primary cancer (SPC).

methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 213 patients with oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, or laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent chemoradiotherapy. Pretreatment RHR was measured from electrocardiograms, and survival outcomes were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models.

resultsPatients with an RHR ≥ 83 bpm had significantly worse overall survival (P = 0.004) and disease-specific survival (P < 0.001). Elevated RHR was an independent prognostic factor and was associated with an increased incidence of SPC (P = 0.016), particularly esophageal cancer (P = 0.003). In exploratory analyses, this association with esophageal SPC remained after adjustment for alcohol consumption category and smoking status.

conclusionsRHR is a potential prognostic marker in HNC and, in exploratory analyses, was associated with an increased risk of SPCs, particularly esophageal cancer. These findings suggest that RHR may help stratify risk in patients with HNC, although further studies are needed to clarify its clinical implications.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Squamous CellHead and Neck NeoplasmsHeart RateNeoplasms, Second PrimarySquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckAdultAgedChemoradiotherapyFemaleHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisRetrospective StudiesHead and neck cancerHead and neck squamous cell carcinomaPrognosisResting heart rateSecond primary cancerSympathetic nerve

Identifiers

PMID42228297

DOI10.1007/s10147-026-03048-5

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