Clinical trial · Interventional
Expiratory Muscle Strength Training in Improving Bulbar Function and Quality of Life in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
The Impact of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training on Bulbar Function and Well Being of Individuals With Head and Neck Cancer
- 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)
This randomized clinical trial studies how well expiratory muscle strength training works in improving bulbar function and quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer. Expiratory muscle strength training may help to strengthen the muscles involved in breathing and swallowing and may allow improved breathing, airway safety, swallow function, and quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malignant Head and Neck Neoplasm | Malignant Head and Neck Neoplasm | ONTOLOGY_EXACT | 0.98 |
Interventions
Interventions (6)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Practice | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Educational Intervention | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Exercise Intervention | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Expiratory Muscle Strength Training | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Quality-of-Life Assessment | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Questionnaire Administration | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Arm I (standard of care, home exercises)
- description
- Patients receive standard of care comprising of written patient education materials focusing on oral care, signs/symptoms of dysphagia/aspiration, and trismus. Patients participate in a therapy session conducted by a speech pathologist over 30 minutes once per week for 6 weeks during chemoradiation therapy. Patients also perform prescribed exercises at home daily for 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
- interventionNames
- Other: Best Practice
- Other: Educational Intervention
- Other: Exercise Intervention
- Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment
- Other: Questionnaire Administration
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Arm II (standard of care, home exercises, EMST)
- description
- Patients receive standard of care comprising of written patient education materials focusing on oral care, signs/symptoms of dysphagia/aspiration, and trismus. Patients participate in a therapy session conducted by a speech pathologist over 30 minutes once per week for 6 weeks during chemoradiation therapy. Patients perform prescribed exercises at home daily for 3 sets of 10 repetitions. Patients also participate in an EMST session over 30 minutes comprising of 5 sets of 5 repetitions daily for 5 days per week for 6 weeks during chemoradiation therapy
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 19 Years
- Maximum age
- 78 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with a definitive, curative treatment plan consisting of chemoradiation for head \& neck cancer * Surgery, if required, must be limited to: diagnostic biopsy Exclusion Criteria: * Participants enrolled in a radiation de-intensification protocol * Current or previous neurological disease, which may adversely affect swallowing * History of oropharyngeal swallowing disorder prior to cancer diagnosis * Previous neurosurgery on the brain * Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring oxygen dependence, as this is a contraindication of EMST
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available