ClinicalTrials.gg
TerminatedNCT03975465Updated Dec 6, 2024

EMST and Swallowing in Long-Term Survivors of HNCA

An interventional study of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training and Pharyngeal Muscle Strengthening Exercises in Head and Neck Neoplasms and Deglutition Disorders, sponsored by University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Terminated at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-06.

Sponsored by University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Why this study was terminated
Poor accruals

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 8 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Sep 2018, registered Jun 2019).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
6
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study is a randomized trial examining the impact of expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) on oral intake, swallowing function, and swallow-related quality of life in persons treated for cancer of the head and neck (HNCA) with radiation therapy or chemoradiotherapy (RT/CRT) at least 5 years previously.

Read the detailed description

Twenty (20) persons treated for cancer of the head and neck (HNCA) with radiation therapy or chemoradiotherapy (RT/CRT) at least 5 years previously will be randomized to an 8-week program of either EMST only and Standard Care only in order to examine the impact of EMST on swallowing function. The EMST program will consist of 5 sets of 5 breaths, 5 days per week for 8 weeks at 75% of maximum expiratory strength. Patients randomized to the EMST group will use the EMST150 (product name) expiratory muscle strength trainer according to package instructions. Standard Care will include swallowing exercises designed to strengthen muscles that contribute to pharyngeal phase motor events and increase structural range of motion. Subjects will be instructed to practice these exercises following a progressive protocol 5 days per week for 8 weeks.

All subjects will be evaluated at baseline and at the completion of their rehabilitation program. Assessment will include measurement of maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), a videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) to objectively document swallow function, administration of swallow-related quality of life (QOL) questionnaires, and documentation of current diet using the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) Drink Levels and Food Levels.

02

Conditions studied

  • Head and Neck Neoplasms
  • Deglutition Disorders

Keywords

  • oropharyngeal cancer
  • laryngeal cancer
  • swallow
  • chemoradiation
  • expiratory muscle strength training
  • long-term survivor
03

In context

Head and Neck Neoplasms

2,710 studies on the registry are indexed under Head and Neck Neoplasms; 594 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 6 is below the median of 46 across 2,032 interventional studies indexed under Head and Neck Neoplasms.

Browse Head and Neck Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee is the lead sponsor of 33 studies on the registry; 3 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Subject was treated for cancer in the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, larynx, or for an unknown primary at least 5 years prior to enrollment. Subjects may have had surgery as long as a minimum dose of 50 Gy of radiation was part of the treatment;
  2. Subject must have a current swallow complaint or impairment; these include but are not limited to reduced oral intake, perceived difficulty with bolus transport (e.g. feeling of food sticking in throat); aspiration on various bolus consistencies;
  3. Ability to follow directions and engage in a program of rehabilitation

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. the subject's swallowing problems are unrelated to treatment for HNCA (e.g. cognitive impairment, history of stroke);
  2. the subject presents with for EMST as specified in the EMST150 package insert unless cleared for participation by the subject's physician. These conditions include untreated hypertension, untreated gastroesophageal reflux diseas, recent stroke, lung disease, and pregnancy.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
6 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Expiratory Muscle Strength Training

    Patients randomized to the EMST arm will use the EMST150 device as packaged, i.e. following package instructions

    Behavioral: Expiratory Muscle Strength Training

  • Active comparator
    Pharyngeal Muscle Strengthening Exercises

    Patients randomized to Standard Care will receive swallowing exercises designed to strengthen muscles that contribute to pharyngeal phase motor events and increase structural range of motion

    Behavioral: Pharyngeal Muscle Strengthening Exercises

Interventions

  • BehavioralExpiratory Muscle Strength Training

    8 weeks of EMST at 75% maximum expiratory pressure (MEP)

  • BehavioralPharyngeal Muscle Strengthening Exercises

    8 weeks of exercises designed to increase pharyngeal muscle strength for swallowing

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Level of Oral Intake (number)

    Change in Food Level and Drink Level on International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) scale will be calculated from baseline to post-treatment. IDDSI scale rates the level of liquid or food that the person can eat. Scale values range from 0 to 7, with higher values indicating better outcome (greater ability to eat).

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  2. Maximum Expiratory Pressure (MEP) cm H20

    Change in maximum expiratory pressure level will be calculated from baseline to post-treatment.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  3. Extent of hyoid movement (mm)

    From Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies (VFSS), the change in extent of hyoid movement in mm will be determined from baseline to post-treatment.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  4. Upper esophageal sphincter (UES) opening width (mm)

    From Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies (VFSS), the change in width of UES opening width in mm will be determined from baseline to post-treatment.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  5. Presence of pharyngeal residue (dichotomous)

    From Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies (VFSS), the presence of residue in the pharynx (yes or no) will be determined from baseline to post-treatment.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  6. Penetration-Aspiration Scale rating (number)

    From Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies (VFSS), change in the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) score will be determined from baseline to post-treatment. Penetration-Aspiration Scale is an 8-point ordinal rating scale that rates the depth to which food or liquid invades the airway. Values range from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 8; higher values represent worse outcome (i.e. greater depth of invasion into the airway)

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  7. Timing of Aspiration (category)

    From Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies (VFSS), timing of aspiration will be determined from baseline to post-treatment. Timing is identified as a category, either before, during, or after.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

Other outcomes

  1. Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) (number)

    Change in score on the EAT-10 will be calculated from baseline to mid-treatment to post-treatment. EAT-10 is an ordinal rating scale with values that range from 0 to 40, with lower score reflecting better function.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

  2. M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) (number)

    Change in scores on the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) will be calculated from baseline to post-treatment. MDADI consists of four ordinal rating scales with scores ranging from 0 to 100 with higher score reflecting better function.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
  • Froedtert Hospital
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 6, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03975465
Lead sponsor
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Collaborators
Froedtert Hospital, Medical College of Wisconsin
Responsible party
Barbara Pauloski (Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jun 5, 2019
Start date
Sep 10, 2018
Primary completion
Jun 4, 2024
Completion
Jun 4, 2024
Last update
Dec 6, 2024

Study contacts

Barbara Pauloski, Ph.D.
principal investigator · University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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