Clinical trial · Interventional
Tongue Proactive Strengthening Exercise Program Following Partial/Hemi Glossectomy and Reconstruction
Impact of Tongue Proactive Strengthening Exercise Program on Speech and Swallowing Outcomes Following Partial/Hemiglossectomy and Reconstruction
- 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 study is being done to determine whether adding a proactive tongue strengthening exercise program using a biofeedback device (the Tongueometer) improves speech and swallowing outcomes after surgery for tongue cancer. Patients who undergo partial or hemiglossectomy often experience difficulties with speech and swallowing, which can significantly impact their quality of life. While speech and swallow therapy is typically provided in response to problems, this study investigates whether introducing structured tongue strengthening exercises with biofeedback early-can lead to better long-term outcomes. This research will help establish whether this approach should become part of standard post-operative care.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
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 |
| Oral Cancer | Malignant Lip and Oral Cavity Neoplasm | CURATED_BROADER | 0.80 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tongueometer | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Arm 1 - Standard of Care(SOC)
- description
- Standard of Care (SOC): Standard post-operative care with additional intervention if dysarthria or dysphagia symptoms are not improving as expected
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Arm 2 - SOC + Interventional Group
- description
- SOC + Interventional Group: Standard post-operative care with biofeedback-driven prophylactic tongue strengthening exercise program using the Tongueometer and the routine interventions if dysarthria or dysphagia symptoms are not improving appropriately
- interventionNames
- Other: Tongueometer
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Quality of life patient report outcome (PRO) as assessed by Speech Handicap Index(SHI)
- timeFrame
- 6 months post-treatment
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: 1. ≥18 years of age 2. No prior history of head and neck cancer 3. No prior history of radiation 4. Planned to undergo resection of ≤50% of the native tongue (partial/hemiglossectomy) with immediate reconstruction, including free flap reconstruction, and with or without neck dissection 5. Sufficiently fluent in written English, French, Spanish or Simplified Chinese to complete the study outcomes questionnaires Exclusion Criteria: 1. Distant metastasis at enrollment 2. Previously seen and treated by speech and language pathologist for dysphagia or dysarthria for non-head and neck cancer causes 3. Prior head and neck radiation 4. Requires mandibulectomy or \>50% resection of native tongue
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available