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Active, not recruitingNCT04005521HNCUpdated Dec 2, 2024

Randomized Study Regarding Preventive Jaw- and Swallowing Intervention for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

An interventional study of Preventive intervention in Head and Neck Neoplasm, Trismus and Deglutition Disorders, sponsored by Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Sweden. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-02.

Sponsored by Sahlgrenska University Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
80
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

The study includes patients with tumors of the oropharynx, larynx and hypopharynx scheduled to receive radiotherapy with curative intent (+/- chemotherapy). The patients will be randomized into either an intervention group (performing a preventive jaw- and swallowing exercise protocol before and during radiotherapy) or a control group no performing a exercise protocol. All patients will be encouraged to eat or drink for as long as possible during the therapy. All patients will meet with a speech-language therapist weekly during radiotherapy.

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Conditions studied

  • Head and Neck Neoplasm
  • Trismus
  • Deglutition Disorders
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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 80 is above the median of 46 across 2,032 interventional studies indexed under Head and Neck Neoplasms.

Browse Head and Neck Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Sahlgrenska University Hospital is the lead sponsor of 263 studies on the registry; 68 are open to participants now.

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

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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

  • Head and neck cancer (tumors of the oropharynx, pharynx, hypopharynx and larynx)
  • Receiving radiohterpay (+/- chemotherapy) with curative intent
  • No previous trismus or dysphagia

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Surgery due to head and neck cancer
  • Previous treatment for head and neck cancer
  • Tracheostomized patients
  • No teeth
  • Inability to perform exercise intervention
  • Inability to independently fill out questionnaires in Swedish
  • Previous neurologic or neuromuscular disease
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
80 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Preventive intervention

    Patient will perform daily exercise: jaw and swallwing exercises, as well as are encouraged to eat and drink for as long as possible during treatment

    Behavioral: Preventive intervention

  • No intervention
    Control group

    No intervention, only encouragement to eat and drink for as long as possible during treatment

Interventions

  • BehavioralPreventive intervention

    Preventive, structured exercise protocol

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Maximal Interincisal opening (MIO)

    Jaw opening measured in millimeters. A MIO \<36 mm is considered as trismus. i.e. limited jaw-opening.

    Time frame: 1 month post radiotherapy

  2. Swallowing ability

    Swallowing ability measured with Functional Endoscopic Examination of Swallowing (FEES)

    Time frame: 1 month after radiotherapy

Secondary outcomes

  1. Trismus and jaw related symptoms

    Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) measured with Gothenburg Trismus Questionnaire (GTQ). The GTQ consists of 21 items divided into 3 domains; Jaw related problems, Eating limitations and Muscular tension and eight single items concerning facial pain, limitations in mouth opening and inabilities to function on social and working contexts. The GTQ domains range from 0-100 where 0 equals to absence of symtoms and 100 equals worst possible symptoms.

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

  2. Dysphagia related symtoms

    PRO measured with M.D Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI). This is a cancer-specific instrument measuring dysphagia, social function and quality of life in head and neck cancer patients. It consists of 19 items in four domains; emotional, physical, functional and global quality of life. The range for each subscale is 20-100 where 100 indicates best possible swallowing, i.e. better outcome.

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

  3. Health related quality of life (HRQL)

    Measured with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ) core questionnaire (c30). Consists of 30 items divided into six functional domains (Physical, Role, Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Functioning and Global Quality of life), three symptom scales (Fatigue, Pain, and Nausea/Vomiting) and six single items (Constipation, Diarrhea, Insomnia, Dyspnea, Appetite Loss, and Financial Difficulties). All domains range from 0-100. For the functional domains a higher score indicates good function, while for all other domains a high score indicates a high prevalence of symtoms, i.e. worse HRQL.

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

  4. Health related quality of life (HRQL)

    Measured with the EORTC QLQ Head and neck module (HN35). It consists of 35 questions regarding symptoms more specific to the head and neck cancer population, and domain scores range from 0-100, where a higher score represents the prevalence of more symtoms, i.e. worse HRQL.

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

  5. Swallowing ability

    Swallowing ability measured with FEES

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

  6. Maximal Interincisal opening (MIO)

    Jaw opening measured in millimeters

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

Other outcomes

  1. Cost

    The cost of intervention compared to usual care. Costs in Swedish crowns (SEK) for the intervention and all visits to healthcare during 5 years will be recorded.

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

  2. Quality of life for cost-effectiveness analysis

    The outcomes of intervention compared to usual care using European Quality of life 5 dimensions (EQ5D).

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

  3. Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY)

    QALY is a measurement that combines health-related quality of life (HRQL) and life expectancy in one index. The index range between 0 and 1, where 0 equals death and 1 represents perfect health. Thus, 1 QALY corresponds to 1 year of perfect health. This is calculated using the EQ-5D.

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

  4. Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER)

    Incremental cost for each QALY for the intervention group will be calculated using a Markov model which combines the costs and EQ-5D. The ICER will then be compared to the maximum willingness to pay level which is SEK 500,000 (€55,000) according to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare.

    Time frame: Up to 5 years post radiotherapy

07

Study locations

1 site
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References and documents

Publications

  • Saghafi E, Kadhim K, Andas CA, Cahlin BJ, Finizia C, Axelsson T, Kjeller G, Tuomi L. Jaw exercise in head and neck cancer patients for prevention of temporomandibular disorders: a randomized controlled trial. J Cancer Surviv. 2024 Nov 22. doi: 10.1007/s11764-024-01717-w. Online ahead of print. PubMed 39576571 ↗
  • Petersson K, Finizia C, Pauli N, Tuomi L. Preventing radiation-induced dysphagia and trismus in head and neck cancer-A randomized controlled trial. Head Neck. 2025 Jan;47(1):159-174. doi: 10.1002/hed.27886. Epub 2024 Aug 1. PubMed 39091121 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 2, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04005521
Responsible party
Lisa Tuomi (Principal Investigator, Vastra Gotaland Region) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 2, 2019
Start date
Jun 13, 2019
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2023
Completion
Jul 31, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Dec 2, 2024

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

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