Publications

Uchechukwu Megwalu, MD, MPH
Division Chief, Comprehensive Otolaryngology, Stanford University School of Medicine (2019 - Present) Otolaryngology Clerkship Director, Stanford University School of Medicine (2017 - Present) Director of Otolaryngology, Queens Hospital Center, Jamaica, NY, USA (2011 - 2015) Assistant Regional Director of Otolaryngology, Queens Health Network, Queens, NY, USA (2011 - 2015)

Publications

  • Clarification Regarding Insurance Disparities Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer-Reply. JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery Megwalu, U. C., Ma, Y. 2025

    View details for DOI 10.1001/jamaoto.2024.4671

    View details for PubMedID 39745742

  • Association of race and ethnicity with quality of care among head and neck cancer patients in California. Oral oncology Megwalu, U. C., Ma, Y., Divi, V. 2024; 161: 107144

    Abstract

    There are significant racial disparities in head and neck cancer (HNC) outcomes. Racial differences in survival may be explained by differential access to high-quality care. The goal of this study was to evaluate the association of race and ethnicity with the quality of the treating hospital, and receipt of guideline-compliant care among HNC patients.Retrospective cohort study of data from the California Cancer Registry dataset linked with discharge records and hospital characteristics. The study cohort included adult patients with HNC diagnosed between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019. Outcome measures included the quality of treating hospital, and NCCN guideline-compliant care.Black (OR 0.76, 95 % CI 0.67 to 0.85) and Hispanic (OR 0.68, 95 % CI 0.63 to 0.74) patients were less likely to be treated in top-quality hospitals compared with non-Hispanic White patients, after adjusting for demographic, and clinical factors. This association disappeared for Black patients, but persisted for Hispanic patients, after additionally adjusting for socioeconomic status and insurance status. Black patients with advanced-stage disease were less likely to be treated with dual-modality therapy (OR 0.82, 95 % CI 0.70 to 0.96), however, this association disappeared after adjusting for demographic, and clinical factors, and hospital quality.There are significant racial and ethnic disparities in quality of care for patients with HNC. Our findings suggest that differential access to high-quality care may account for some of the racial disparities in HNC survival, and highlight the need for continued investigation into the drivers of racial disparities in HNC outcomes.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2024.107144

    View details for PubMedID 39700600

  • Perioperative Use of Systemic Steroids Within Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery: Evidence-Based Guidance for Clinicians. Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Ikeda, A. K., Gray, R., Lee, V., Dixon Johns, J., Briggs, S., Raol, N. R., Megwalu, U. C., Joe, S., Garritano, F., Brenner, M. J., McCoul, E. D. 2024

    Abstract

    To review and synthesize the available evidence for use of perioperative systemic steroids for otolaryngologic surgical procedures.A comprehensive literature review with evidence-informed recommendations.Databases were queried for medical subject heading terms and keywords related to perioperative systemic corticosteroids use for comprehensive otolaryngology and subspecialty procedures including otologic, sinonasal, sleep, laryngeal, head and neck, facial plastics, and pediatric surgery. Perioperative period included preoperative (up to 7 days prior to surgery), intraoperative (on the day of surgery), and postoperative (initiated within 24 hours after surgery) timeframes.Evidence from clinical practice guidelines, systematic reviews, and original research studies supports perioperative systemic corticosteroid use for specific otolaryngologic indications. Numerous studies support perioperative steroid use for nausea, vomiting, or edema in tonsillectomy, rhinoplasty, and thyroidectomy, although formal guideline recommendations are limited. Strong evidence supports perioperative steroid use before and after endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis with polyposis and fungal sinusitis. Evidence of benefit is sparse or absent on systemic perioperative steroid use for the middle and inner ear, laryngeal, salivary gland surgery, and reconstructive facial plastic surgery.Although perioperative administration of systemic steroids is routinely performed for many otolaryngologic surgeries, high-level evidence is limited to specific contexts. Evidence supports the benefit for reducing nausea, vomiting, or edema for several otolaryngologic procedures, as well as for either chronic rhinosinusitis with polyposis or fungal sinusitis. However, these benefits need to be weighed against risks, and further investigations are needed to define the role for perioperative steroids in otolaryngology.

    View details for DOI 10.1002/ohn.1067

    View details for PubMedID 39624920

  • Association Between Limited English Proficiency and Hearing Healthcare Use in the United States. The Laryngoscope Halagur, A. S., Megwalu, U. C. 2024

    Abstract

    To determine whether limited English proficiency (LEP) is associated with likelihood of prior audiogram and hearing aid use among US adults with hearing loss.This cross-sectional study of four merged National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles included 12,636 adults with subjective (self-reported) or objective (audiometric) hearing loss. Subjects were classified as LEP if they completed the NHANES survey in a language other than English, or with the help of an interpreter. Likelihood of audiogram among participants with subjective and objective hearing loss, and likelihood of hearing aid use among participants with objective hearing loss were assessed using unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression.Individuals with LEP were less likely to have undergone audiogram among subjects with subjective (odds ratio [OR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67-0.77), and objective (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.65-0.74) hearing loss. The association persisted for those with subjective hearing loss (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.72-0.86), and objective hearing loss (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73-0.89) after adjusting for relevant covariates. Individuals with LEP were less likely to use hearing aids (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.84-0.93). This association disappeared (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.95-1.04) after adjustment.LEP is associated with lower utilization of hearing healthcare services. This may be due to the complex interplay of socioeconomic and language disparities, which may act as barriers to hearing healthcare utilization. Individuals with LEP should be prioritized when designing interventions to improve accessibility to hearing healthcare.Level 3 Laryngoscope, 2024.

    View details for DOI 10.1002/lary.31661

    View details for PubMedID 39039781

  • Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Thyroid Cancer Surgery. Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) Lee, M. L., Megwalu, U. C., Finegersh, A., Noel, J. E., Chen, M. M. 2024; 31 (6): 3579-3590

    Abstract

    The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to healthcare services in 2020, delaying cancer diagnosis and treatment. While early-stage thyroid cancer often progresses slowly, it is crucial to determine whether treatment delays associated with the pandemic have impacted the clinical presentation and management of advanced-stage thyroid cancer. The purpose of our study was to determine the impact of the early COVID-19 pandemic on thyroid cancer presentation and treatment times. Utilizing the National Cancer Database, chi-squared tests and regression analyses were performed to compare patient demographic and clinical characteristics over time for 56,011 patients diagnosed with primary thyroid cancer who were treated at the Commission on Cancer-accredited sites in 2019 and 2020. We found that thyroid cancer diagnoses decreased between 2019 and 2020, with the biggest drop among patients with cT1 disease relative to other T stages. We also found that patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2020 had similar treatment times to patients diagnosed in 2019, as measured by both the time between diagnosis and start of treatment and the time between surgery and start of radioactive iodine therapy. Overall, our study suggests that resources during the pandemic were allocated to patients with advanced thyroid disease, despite a decrease in diagnoses.

    View details for DOI 10.3390/curroncol31060263

    View details for PubMedID 38920746

  • Immigrant Status Disparities in Hearing Health Care Use in the United States. Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Halagur, A. S., Fitzgerald, M. B., Megwalu, U. C. 2024

    Abstract

    To determine whether immigrant status is associated with likelihood of audiogram and hearing aid use among US adults with hearing loss.Cross-sectional study.Nationally representative data from 2009 to 2010, 2011 to 2012, 2015 to 2016, and 2017 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles.This cross-sectional study of 4 merged cycles of NHANES included 12,455 adults with subjective (self-reported) or objective (audiometric) hearing loss. Sequentially adjusted logistic regressions were used to assess the association of immigration status with likelihood of having undergone audiogram among those with objective and self-reported hearing loss, and with likelihood of hearing aid use among candidates with objective hearing loss.Immigrants were less likely to have received an audiogram among subjects with subjective (odds ratio [OR]: 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75-0.87), and objective (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.72-0.81) hearing loss, compared to nonimmigrants. The association persisted for those with subjective (OR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81-0.96), and objective (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.80-0.96) hearing loss after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, comorbidities, insurance, and hearing quality, but disappeared in both groups after adjusting for English proficiency. Immigrants were less likely to use hearing aids (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.87-0.93). However, this association disappeared (OR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.93-1.04) in the adjusted model.Immigrant status is a significant barrier to hearing health care and is associated with lower rates of audiometric testing and hearing aid use among individuals with hearing loss.

    View details for DOI 10.1002/ohn.859

    View details for PubMedID 38881377

  • Insurance Disparities in Quality of Care Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer. JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery Megwalu, U. C., Ma, Y., Divi, V., Tian, L. 2024

    Abstract

    Significant insurance status disparities have been demonstrated in head and neck cancer (HNC) outcomes. The effects of insurance status on HNC outcomes may be explained by differential access to high-quality care.To evaluate the association of insurance status with the quality of the treating hospital and receipt of guideline-compliant care among patients with HNC.This retrospective cohort study of data from the California Cancer Registry dataset linked with discharge records and hospital characteristics from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information included adult patients with HNC diagnosed between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019. Data were analyzed from May 10, 2023, to March 25, 2024.Insurance status: commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, uninsured, other, or unknown.Quality of the treating hospital (tertiles), receipt of National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline-compliant care, and overall survival.A total of 23 933 patients (mean [SD] age, 64.8 [12.3] years; 75.3% male) met the inclusion criteria. Treatment in top-tertile hospitals (hazard ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.95) was associated with improved overall survival compared with treatment in bottom-tertile hospitals. Medicare (odds ratio [OR], 0.78; 95% CI, 0.73-0.84), Medicaid (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.54-0.66), and uninsured (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.29-0.49) status were associated with lower likelihood of treatment in high-quality hospitals compared with commercial insurance. Among patients with advanced disease, Medicaid (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.62-0.83) and uninsured (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.44-0.93) patients were less likely to receive dual-modality therapy. Among patients with surgically resected advanced disease, Medicaid coverage (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.58-0.93) was associated with lower likelihood of receiving adjuvant radiotherapy.This study found significant insurance disparities in quality of care among patients with HNC. These findings highlight the need for continued health insurance reform in the US to improve the quality of insurance coverage, in addition to expanding access to health insurance.

    View details for DOI 10.1001/jamaoto.2024.1338

    View details for PubMedID 38869878

  • Update on Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Incidence and Mortality Trends in the United States, 2000-2018. Cancer investigation Li, G., Tai, J. W., Moon, P. K., Megwalu, U. C. 2024: 1-4

    Abstract

    Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy in the pediatric population. A recent study has revealed a recent decline in overall US thyroid cancer incidence rates. The aim of this study is to assess whether there has been a corresponding decline in incidence rates in the pediatric population. We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to analyze the pediatric thyroid cancer incidence rate. The results demonstrate that the incidence rate of pediatric thyroid cancer continued to increase from 2000 to 2018. Future studies are needed to understand how recent changes in guidelines are affecting incidence rates.

    View details for DOI 10.1080/07357907.2024.2353313

    View details for PubMedID 38742680

  • Thyroid Cancer Incidence Among Korean Individuals: A Comparison of South Korea and the United States. The Laryngoscope Kim, D., Li, G., Moon, P. K., Ma, Y., Sim, S., Park, S. Y., Oh, M., Megwalu, U. C. 2024

    Abstract

    OBJECTIVE: To compare thyroid cancer incidence rates and trends between Korean, non-Korean Asian, and non-Hispanic White populations in the United States, and between the US Korean population and the South Korean population.METHOD: Population-based analysis of cancer incidence data. Cases of thyroid cancer diagnosed during 1999-2014 from the Korean Central Cancer Registry (KCCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 9 detailed Asian/Pacific Islander subgroup incidence and population dataset were included. Incidence rates were obtained from the datasets, and annual percent change (APC) of the incidence rates was calculated using Joinpoint regression analysis.RESULTS: Thyroid cancer incidence rate for 1999-2014 was significantly higher for South Korea (48.05 [95% CI 47.89-48.22] per 100,000 person-years) than for the US Korean population (11.12 [95% CI 10.49-11.78] per 100,000 person-years), which was slightly higher than the Non-Korean Asian population (10.23 [95% CI 10.02-10.43] per 100,000 person-years), and slightly lower than the Non-Hispanic White population (12.78 [95% CI 12.69-12.87] per 100,000 person-years). Incidence rates in South Korea increased dramatically (average APC 17.9, 95% CI 16.0-19.9), significantly higher than the US Korean population (average APC 5.0, 95% CI 3.1-6.8), which was similar to the non-Korean Asian (average APC 2.5, 95% CI 0.9-4.2) and the non-Hispanic White (average APC 5.1, 95% CI 4.7-5.6) populations.CONCLUSIONS: South Korea's high thyroid cancer incidence rates cannot be attributed to genetic factors, but are likely due to health care system factors.LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 2024.

    View details for DOI 10.1002/lary.31490

    View details for PubMedID 38727257

  • Oral cavity cancer in young, non-smoking, and non-drinking patients: a contemporary review. Critical reviews in oncology/hematology Tran, Q., Maddineni, S., Arnaud, E. H., Divi, V., Megwalu, U., Topf, M. C., Sunwoo, J. B. 2023: 104112

    Abstract

    Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in non-smoking and non-drinking (NSND) individuals appears to be distinct from the traditional head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The incidence of this subset is increasing, as are the number of studies examining its characteristics. NSND OSCC individuals tend to be younger (<45 years) compared to traditional HNSCC patients. The proportion of females in the NSND OSCC cohort is also higher. The tongue is the predominantly affected subsite. Studies have revealed several gene mutations and unique epigenomic profiles but no definitive genetic etiology. Transcriptomic analysis has not found any causative viral agents. Other proposed etiologies include chronic dental trauma, microbiome abnormalities, marijuana consumption, and genetic disorders. There are international efforts to determine the relative prognostic outcome of this unique cohort, but no consensus has been reached. Here, we review the incidence, demographics, subsite, possible etiologies, prognosis, and therapy implications of the NSND OSCC cohort.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2023.104112

    View details for PubMedID 37633348

Research Goals

Our purpose is to conduct research that directly impacts health care delivery and health outcomes for patients with diseases of the head and neck. Our multi-disciplinary team includes researchers, clinicians, and trainees with complimentary expertise and experience in clinical care and outcomes/health services research