ArticleEsophagus : official journal of the Japan Esophageal Society2026
Improved hypopharyngeal visibility and early cancer detection using the modified Killian method during esophagogastroduodenoscopy in patients at high risk of head and neck cancer.
Article in Esophagus : official journal of the Japan Esophageal Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPatients with a history of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma or pharyngeal cancer are at high risk of laryngopharyngeal cancers, particularly in the hypopharynx. However, adequate hypopharyngeal visualization during esophagogastroduodenoscopy is challenging because of anatomical constraints. We evaluated the utility of the Modified Killian method for hypopharyngeal visualization during esophagogastroduodenoscopy in high-risk patients.
methodsThe Modified Killian method had previously been used at our institution for high-risk patients with esophageal and head and neck cancers. In this retrospective comparative study, data were collected from 45 high-risk patients who underwent pharyngeal examination using the Modified Killian method after the conventional method during a single esophagogastroduodenoscopy session. The primary endpoint was the hypopharyngeal visibility score (scale 1-5). Secondary endpoints included visibility of other pharyngeal areas, procedure time, lesion detection, and adverse events.
resultsThe Modified Killian method without the Valsalva maneuver yielded higher hypopharyngeal visibility scores than the conventional method (median [interquartile range, IQR]: 2.0 [2.0-4.0] vs. 1.0 [1.0-2.0]; p < 0.001). The Modified Killian method further improved visibility (median [IQR]: 4.0 [3.0-5.0]; p < 0.001 vs. conventional). No significant differences were observed in visibility of the oropharynx or vallecula. The procedure time was longer for the Modified Killian method (237 vs. 134 s; p < 0.001). Three intraepithelial hypopharyngeal carcinomas missed by the conventional method were detected with the Modified Killian method. No adverse events occurred.
conclusionsThe Modified Killian method, particularly its positional component alone, improves hypopharynx visualization and may contribute to early cancer detection without compromising observation of other pharyngeal areas.
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.