Clinical trial · Interventional
Muscle Composition and Function for Swallowing in Head/Neck Cancer Patients
Muscle Composition and Function for Swallowing in Head/Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy: a Randomized Controlled Trial of Swallowing Therapy"
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Swallowing dysfunction after chemo-radiation is common, but there is no reliable evidence for how it should be managed. This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated the relative benefit of a battery of isometric / isotonic exercises on the maintenance of muscle composition and function for swallowing in Head / Neck Cancer patients undergoing chemo-radiation therapy.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head & Neck Cancer | Head and Neck Neoplasm | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.90 |
Interventions
Interventions (3)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| focused attention sessions | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Pharyngocise | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Valchuff | Behavioral | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (3)
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Usual Care
- description
- Patient management by the attending Radiation oncologist "as usual".
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: focused attention sessions
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Pharyngocise
- description
- Standardized high intensity behavioral swallowing therapy (Pharyngocise) comprised a battery of direct isometric / isotonic exercises and appropriate dietary modification, under the direction of the study speech pathologist, twice daily for the duration of the patient's total course of their chemo-radiation treatment (up to a maximum of 6 weeks)
- interventionNames
- Behavioral: Pharyngocise
- type
- SHAM_COMPARATOR
- label
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 21 Years
- Maximum age
- 90 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Head / neck cancer of the oropharyngeal or adjacent regions, confirmed by clinical history and exam, with positive cross sectional imaging studies and histopathological biopsy excluding other pathology. * Planned to undergo external beam radiation therapy, * No previous history of nonoral feeding for cancer related illness, * Able to undergo MRI procedures. * Physician / patient agreement to participate Exclusion Criteria: * Planned surgical intervention * Existence of a co-existing neurological or medical disorder known to cause dysphagia * Prior radiotherapy or surgery to the head / neck region that could contribute to dysphagia. * Previous swallowing therapy within four weeks of randomization
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available