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Thyroidectomy is among the most commonly performed head and neck surgeries, however, limited existing information is available on topics of interest and concern to patients. Observational. Online. A search engine optimization tool was utilized to extract metadata on Google‐suggested questions that “People Also Ask” (PAA) pertaining to “thyroidectomy” and “thyroid surgery.” These questions were categorized by Rothwell criteria and topics of interest. The Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA) benchmark criteria enabled quality assessment. A total of 250 PAA questions were analyzed. Future‐oriented PAA questions describing what to expect during and after the surgery on topics such as postoperative management, risks or complications of surgery, and technical details were significantly less popular among the “thyroid surgery” group (P< 0.001, P= 0.005, and P< 0.001, respectively). PAA questions about scarring and hypocalcemia were nearly threefold more popular than those related to pain (335 and 319 vs. 113 combined search engine response page count, respectively). The overall JAMA quality score remained low (2.50 ± 1.07), despite an increasing number of patients searching for “thyroidectomy” (r(77) = 0.30, P= 0.007). Patients searching for the nonspecific term “thyroid surgery” received a curated collection of PAA questions that were significantly less likely to educate them on what to expect during and after surgery, as compared to patients with higher health literacy who search with the term “thyroidectomy.” This suggests that the content of PAA questions differs based on the presumed health literacy of the internet user. Significant findings of the study: oCosmesis and hypocalcemia as top questions as opposed to nerve injury is both an unexpected and interesting finding.oGoogle may curate results differently based on patient health literacy.What this study adds: oPatients undergoing endocrine procedures are increasingly referencing online health information before their clinic visit. Understanding the most popular topics of patient interest on a nation‐wide level may inform patient counseling efforts. Significant findings of the study: oCosmesis and hypocalcemia as top questions as opposed to nerve injury is both an unexpected and interesting finding.oGoogle may curate results differently based on patient health literacy. Cosmesis and hypocalcemia as top questions as opposed to nerve injury is both an unexpected and interesting finding. Google may curate results differently based on patient health literacy. What this study adds: oPatients undergoing endocrine procedures are increasingly referencing online health information before their clinic visit. Understanding the most popular topics of patient interest on a nation‐wide level may inform patient counseling efforts. Patients undergoing endocrine procedures are increasingly referencing online health information before their clinic visit. Understanding the most popular topics of patient interest on a nation‐wide level may inform patient counseling efforts.

Although standard of care for primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is chemoradiotherapy, there remains no consensus on management of recurrent or metastatic disease. We characterized recent clinical trials on NPC to assess trends in NPC treatment and establish promising areas for future research. Retrospective database study. ClinicalTrials.govdatabase. Retrospective review of all NPC trials from November 1999 to June 2021. For each study, the following variables were extracted: study characteristics, intervention, outcome measures, and inclusion criteria. Secondary searches via PubMed and Google scholar determined trial publication status. A total of 448 clinical trials were identified: 72 (16%) observational and 376 (84%) interventional, of which there were 30 (8%) Phase I, 183 (49%) Phase II, 86 Phase III (23%), and 5 (1%) Phase IV trials. Fifty‐four percent of trials included only primary NPC while 111 (25%) exclusively studied recurrent cancers. The most common interventions were cisplatin (n= 64) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (n= 54); there were 38 trials involving PD‐1 monoclonal antibodies. Thirty‐four studies examined quality of life measures, including xerostomia and mucositis. Of the completed studies, 53.2% have published manuscripts. Poor patient accrual was the most common reason for premature study termination. Novel immunotherapies have been increasingly incorporated into NPC studies in recent years, however, chemotherapy and radiation, despite their numerous side effects, are still widely used due to their clinical effectiveness. Future trials are warranted to determine the optimal therapeutic regimens to decrease relapse rates and side effects. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma clinical trials. Significant findings of the study: Through a comprehensive review of the ClinicalTrials.govdatabase, we found that only 25% of registered nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) trials have been completed. Current trials focus on the addition of immunotherapy to traditional radiation and chemotherapy regimens.What this study adds: Despite advances in cancer therapy, there are limited completed and published Phase 3 trials in NPC, warranting future studies to examine optimal combination therapies to increase recurrence‐free and overall survival. Significant findings of the study: Through a comprehensive review of the ClinicalTrials.govdatabase, we found that only 25% of registered nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) trials have been completed. Current trials focus on the addition of immunotherapy to traditional radiation and chemotherapy regimens. What this study adds: Despite advances in cancer therapy, there are limited completed and published Phase 3 trials in NPC, warranting future studies to examine optimal combination therapies to increase recurrence‐free and overall survival.

Otolaryngology‐specific requirements were piloted to minimize applicant and program burdens. We investigated the impact of introducing and then removing these requirements on Match outcomes. 2014–2021 National Resident Matching Program® data were examined. The primary outcome was the impact of Otolaryngology Resident Talent Assessment (ORTA; prematch 2017, postmatch 2019) and Program‐Specific Paragraph (PSP; implemented 2016, optional 2018) on applicant numbers and match rates. Secondary survey analysis assessed candidate perceptions of PSP/ORTA. Applicant numbers declined significantly during PSP/ORTA (18.9%; p= 0.001). With the optional PSP and postmatch ORTA, applicant numbers increased significantly (39.0%; p= 0.002). Examined individually, mandatory PSP was associated with a significant decline in applicants (p= 0.007), whereas postmatch ORTA was associated with significant increases in applicants (p= 0.010). ORTA and PSP negatively impacted the decision to apply to otolaryngology in 59.8% and 51.3% of applicants, respectively. Conversely, match rate success improved significantly from 74.8% to 91.2% during PSP/ORTA (p= 0.014), followed by a significant decline to 73.1% after PSP was made optional and ORTA moved to postmatch (p= 0.002). ORTA and PSP correlated with decreased applicant numbers and increased match rate success. As programs seek ways to remove barriers to applying to otolaryngology, the potential consequences of an increasing pool of unmatched candidates must also be considered. The Program‐Specific Paragraph (PSP) and Otolaryngology Resident Talent Assessment (ORTA) were added with good intent—so candidates could convey serious intentions to specific programs (via the PSP) and for programs to identify excellent, “best‐fit” future residents (via the ORTA).While PSP and ORTA have been suggested to contribute to declining applicant numbers, the implications of these interventions have not been thoroughly investigated. We evaluated the impact of introducing and then removing these requirements on Match outcomes from 2014 to 2021.We found that applicant numbers declined significantly (18.9%) and match rate success increased significantly (16.4%) during PSP/ORTA. When PSP was made optional and ORTA was moved to postmatch, applicant numbers and match rates returned to baseline.ORTA and PSP negatively impacted the decision to apply to otolaryngology in 59.8% and 51.3% of applicants, respectively.Any new Match interventions must involve a combination of application/selection process reform and pregraduate curriculum development. Additional application requirements must be instituted strategically and with careful consideration for the implications on applicant numbers and match rate success. The Program‐Specific Paragraph (PSP) and Otolaryngology Resident Talent Assessment (ORTA) were added with good intent—so candidates could convey serious intentions to specific programs (via the PSP) and for programs to identify excellent, “best‐fit” future residents (via the ORTA). While PSP and ORTA have been suggested to contribute to declining applicant numbers, the implications of these interventions have not been thoroughly investigated. We evaluated the impact of introducing and then removing these requirements on Match outcomes from 2014 to 2021. We found that applicant numbers declined significantly (18.9%) and match rate success increased significantly (16.4%) during PSP/ORTA. When PSP was made optional and ORTA was moved to postmatch, applicant numbers and match rates returned to baseline. ORTA and PSP negatively impacted the decision to apply to otolaryngology in 59.8% and 51.3% of applicants, respectively. Any new Match interventions must involve a combination of application/selection process reform and pregraduate curriculum development. Additional application requirements must be instituted strategically and with careful consideration for the implications on applicant numbers and match rate success.