Clinical trial · Interventional
Study of Non-invasive Acupuncture-like Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (Altens) to Help Alleviate Xerostomia After Radiation Therapy for Cancers of the Head and Neck
Prospective Study of Non-invasive Acupuncture-like Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (Altens) to Help Alleviate Xerostomia After Radiation Therapy for Cancers of the Head and Neck
NCT04805528CI-TRIAL-00094984recruitingN/AClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrialsProvenance
- 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)
The purpose of this study would like to learn if acupuncture-like electrical therapy can be used in patients with head and neck cancer who have had radiation treatment to treat dry mouth.
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 and Neck Cancer | Malignant Head and Neck Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture-Like Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation (ALTENS) | Radiation | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Experimental: Acupuncture-Like Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation (ALTENS) Therapy
- description
- Six (6) small electrodes will be placed on specific points of the body using adhesive pads. These electrodes are connected to the ALTENS device, which will send controlled, low-level electrical impulses through the skin and into the tissue underneath.
- interventionNames
- Radiation: Acupuncture-Like Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation (ALTENS)
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Number of patients with a mean parotid dose > 25 Gy have an improvement on the XeQoL questionnaire that is significantly different than those with a mean dose < 25 Gy
- timeFrame
- 6 Months
- description
- Measure by responses to XeQoL questionnaire
Secondary outcomes (1)
- measure
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Age \> 18 years * No restrictions on gender or ethnicity * Ability and willingness to present for ALTENS therapy over 12 weeks * Previous radiation to the head and neck with a dose \> 50 Gy * Subjective complaint of dry mouth * No evidence of active malignancy in the head and neck region * Minimum of 3 months post initial curative therapy with no evidence of active disease by standard of care surveillance scans for said disease site Exclusion Criteria: * Age under 18 years of age * Inability to present for ALTENS therapy * Inability to fill out quality of life questionnaires * Ability and desire to receive concurrent chemoradiation therapy * Because ALTENs may stimulate nerves similar to those of pilocarpine, the following exclusions are noted as theoretically ALTENS could produce worse symptoms * Unstable Angina * Unstable cardiac disease with hospitalization in the last 6 months * Presence of a pacemaker, ICD, or other electronic implanted device that could be affected * Myocardial infarction in the last 6 months * Symptomatic arrhythmia in the last 6 months * Severe COPD with exacerbation causing hospitalization within the last 6 months * Pregnancy or the possibility of pregnancy
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available
No reference posted for this study.