Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34680211›Full record

ArticleCancers2021

Quality of Life as a Mediator between Cancer Stage and Long-Term Mortality in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Patients Treated with Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy.

Kuan-Cho Liao, Hui-Ching Chuang, Chih-Yen Chien, Yu-Tsai Lin, Ming-Hsien Tsai, Yan-Ye Su, Chao-Hui Yang, Chi-Chih Lai, Tai-Lin Huang, Shau-Hsuan Li and 4 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
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

14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Quality of life in nasopharyngeal carcinoma survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal outcomes.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Global quality of life and mortality risk in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024
    Pooled it
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  13. Five-year follow-up mortality prognostic index for colorectal patients.International journal of colorectal disease · 2023
    Observational
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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

14 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Kuan-Cho LiaoDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.
Hui-Ching ChuangDepartment of Otolaryngologist, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0001-5335-9744
Chih-Yen ChienDepartment of Otolaryngologist, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-6690-6038
Yu-Tsai LinDepartment of Otolaryngologist, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.
Ming-Hsien TsaiDepartment of Otolaryngologist, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-6877-1579
Yan-Ye SuDepartment of Otolaryngologist, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.
Chao-Hui YangDepartment of Otolaryngologist, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.
Chi-Chih LaiDepartment of Otolaryngologist, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.
Tai-Lin HuangDepartment of Hematology and Oncology, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.
Shau-Hsuan LiDepartment of Hematology and Oncology, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.
Tsair-Fwu LeeMedical Physics and Informatics Laboratory of Electronics Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-3112-3594
Wei-Ting LinDepartment of Social, Behavioral and Population Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5556-2754
Chien-Hung LeeDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807378, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-0988-264X
Fu-Min FangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Kaohsiung Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung 833401, Taiwan.
Chang Gung University · TWKaohsiung Medical University · TWTulane University · US

Funding

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital CMRPG8F1201-3, CMRPG8J1031-2, and CMRPG8K1601
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundQuality of life (QoL) attained before, during, or after treatments is recognized as a vital factor associated with therapeutic benefits in cancer patients. This nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patient longitudinal study assessed the relationship among QoL, cancer stage, and long-term mortality in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). PATIENTS AND

methodsThe European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core QoL questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and the head and neck cancer-specific QoL questionnaire module (QLQ-HN35) were employed to evaluate four-dimensional QoL outcomes at five time points: pre- (

resultsAdvanced AJCC stage (III-IV) patients revealed a 2.26-fold (95% CI-1.56 to 3.27) higher covariate-adjusted mortality risk than early-stage (I-II) patients. Compared with during IMRT, advanced-stage patients had a significantly low global health QoL and a significantly high QoL-HN35 symptom by a large magnitude at pre-, 3 months, and 2 years post-IMRT. QoL scales at pre-IMRT, 1 year, and 2 years post-IMRT were significantly associated with mortality. The effect changes of mortality risk explained by global health QoL, QoL-C30, and QoL-HN35 symptom were 5.8-9.8% at pre-IMRT but at 2 years post-IMRT were 39.4-49.4% by global health QoL and QoL-HN35 symptoms.

conclusionsWe concluded advanced cancer stage correlates with a long-term high mortality in NPC patients treated with IMRT and the association is partially intermediated by QoL at pre-IMRT and 2 years post-IMRT. Therefore, QoL-HN35 symptom and global health QoL-dependent medical support and care should be focused and tailored at 2 years post-IMRT.

Indexed as

Baron and Kenny’s methodintensity modulated radiotherapymediatormortalitynasopharyngeal carcinomaquality of life

Identifiers

PMID34680211
PMCPMC8533735
OpenAlexW3206652730

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.