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RecruitingNCT05187091SWOARUpdated Sep 11, 2026

The SWOAR Trial Sparing of Swallowing and Aspiration Related Organs at Risk & Submandibular Gland With Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Versus Standard IMRT in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

A Phase 3 interventional study of Swallowing and submandibular sparing IMRT and Standard IMRT with medical CRT/RT in Head and Neck Neoplasms and Swallowing Sparing IMRT, sponsored by All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Recruiting at 1 site in India. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-11.

Sponsored by All India Institute of Medical Sciences · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jul 2021; still recruiting 5 years 3 months later.
Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
136
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The aim of SWOAR TRIAL is to test sparing of Dysphagia/ Aspiration risk structures (DARS) and contra lateral submandibular gland by IMRT. HNSCC of the oropharynx, larynx and the hypopharynx treated with radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy will be included in the trial. Patients will be randomized to SWOAR IMRT or standard IMRT.

Swallowing function will be evaluated the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) scoring. Difference in the mean composite score of MDADI, a patient-reported outcome, at 6 months post radiotherapy is the primary outcome of the trial.

Secondary Objectives include longitudinal assessment of aspiration prevention as evaluated by FEES by the 8 point penetration-aspiration score. Swallowing function, will be assessed by using the MDADI at baseline, at completion of CRT/RT, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months.

Assessment of acute and late toxicity assessed at baseline, weekly during radiotherapy and then at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post treatment as per RTOG and LENT SOMA score, respectively.

Treatment outcomes will be assessed in terms of loco-regional tumor recurrence and overall survival, assessed at follow-up visits 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post treatment and then annually until 5 years post treatment.

02

Conditions studied

  • Head and Neck Neoplasms
  • Swallowing Sparing IMRT

Keywords

  • IMRT
  • Dysphagia
  • Aspiration
  • Head and neck cancer
  • Radiation
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 planned enrollment of 136 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

All India Institute of Medical Sciences is the lead sponsor of 27 studies on the registry; 18 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

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. Aged 18 or above and less than 70 years
  2. Patient undergoing radiotherapy for HNSCC of the Oropharynx or Larynx or Hypopharynx.
  3. Stage T1-4, N0-3, M0 disease with confirmed squamous cell carcinoma requiring bilateral neck radiotherapy and where sparing of contra lateral or one submandibular gland is possible
  4. Radiotherapy with concomitant chemotherapy (unless ) is the planned treatment
  5. performance score greater or equal 70
  6. Available to attend long term follow- up;
  7. Ability to complete the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) and EORTC quality of life questionnaires English or Hindi Version.
  8. Willingness to undergo FEES.
  9. Written for treatment.
  10. Available to attend long term follow- up

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Early Carcinoma Glottis (T1-T2, N0M0)
  2. disease.
  3. Previous radiotherapy to the head and neck region
  4. Lateralised tumours, requiring unilateral irradiation
  5. Patients requiring radiation to both submandibular glands
  6. Evidence of pre-existing swallowing dysfunction (not related to HNC);
  7. Major head and neck surgery (excluding /tonsillectomy);
  8. Tracheostomy placement
  9. Previous or concurrent illness, which in the investigator's opinion would interfere with completion of therapy, trial assessments or follow-up
  10. Any invasive within previous 2 years (other than non melanomatous skin carcinoma or cervical carcinoma in situ).
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(7)

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.

Histologically or cytologically confirmed

The diagnosis was confirmed by looking at a sample under a microscope: tissue from a biopsy or surgery (histology), or cells from a fluid or needle sample (cytology).

Your pathology report is the document that shows this.

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.

Karnofsky performance status (KPS)

A 0–100 scale of how well someone can carry out everyday activities. 100 is no complaints and no signs of illness; 70 is able to look after yourself but not to work or keep up normal activity; 50 is needing considerable help and frequent medical care.

Studies often ask for 60 or 70 and above. Your doctor gives the score.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Metastases

Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.

Biopsy and archival tissue

A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.

Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
136 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Standard IMRT

    Standard IMRT with radical CRT/RT

    Radiation: Standard IMRT with medical CRT/RT · Drug: Cisplatine

  • Experimental
    Swallowing Sparing IMRT

    Standard IMRT with radical CRT/RT with additional sparing of dysphagia-aspiration related structures \& submandibular gland sparing by SWOAR-IMRT

    Radiation: Swallowing and submandibular sparing IMRT · Drug: Cisplatine

Interventions

  • RadiationSwallowing and submandibular sparing IMRT

    Standard IMRT with radical CRT/RT with additional sparing of dysphagia-aspiration related structures \& submandibular gland sparing by SWOAR-IMRT

  • RadiationStandard IMRT with medical CRT/RT

    standard IMRT with medical CRT/RT

  • Cisplatin will be given during the radiation at a dose of 40 mg/m2 weekly to a cumulative dose of at least 200 mg/m2 in case of margin positive disease

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in swallowing function post radiotherapy

    Primary objective of the SWOAR trial is to determine whether sparing the DARS by SWOAR IMRT, changes swallowing function compared to S- IMRT in advanced HNSCC. The impact of sparing the DARS with SWOAR-IMRT on late swallowing function will be evaluated the MDADI. Difference in the mean composite score of MDADI, a patient-reported outcome, at 6 months post radiotherapy is the primary outcome of the trial. MDADI score ranges from 0-100 where 0 is the worst and 100 is the best score for dysphagia assessment

    Time frame: 6 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Swallowing assessment

    Swallowing will be assessed by using the MDADI at baseline, at completion of CRT/RT, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months.

    Time frame: longitudinal assessment till 2 years

  2. Aspiration assessment

    Longitudinal assessment of aspiration prevention as evaluated by FEES by the 8 point penetration-aspiration score. Patients will be subjected to 10 ml of liquid, semi solid and solid meal at baseline, at completion of CRT/RT, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months.6, 12, and 24 months.

    Time frame: longitudinal assessment till 2 years

  3. Acute Toxicity

    Assessment of acute weekly during radiotherapy as per RTOG RTOG grading is from 0 to IV where 0 represents no findings and IV being the worst Findings

    Time frame: longitudinal assessment till 2 years

  4. Late Toxicity assessment by RTOG

    Assessment of late toxicity at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post treatment as per RTOG score. RTOG is from 0 to IV where 0 represents no findings and IV being the worst Findings

    Time frame: longitudinal assessment till 2 years

  5. Late Toxicity assessment by LENT SOMA

    Assessment of late toxicity at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post treatment as LENT SOMA score. LENT SOMA score is from 0 to IV where 0 represents no findings and IV being the worst Findings

    Time frame: longitudinal assessment till 2 years

  6. Treatment outcome: Loco-regional tumor control

    Loco-regional tumor control at 2 years At follow up of 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post treatment

    Time frame: 2 years

  7. Treatment outcome: Overall survival

    Overall survival at 2 years At follow up of 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post treatment

    Time frame: 2 years

  8. Quality of life assessment: EORTC QLQ C-30

    EORTC QLQ C-30 questionnaire At follow up of 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post treatment The QLQ-C30 is composed of both multi-item scales and single-item measures. These include five functional scales, three symptom scales, a global health status / QoL scale, and six single items. Each of the multi-item scales includes a different set of items - no item occurs in more than one scale. All of the scales and single-item measures range in score from 0 to 100. A high scale score represents a higher response level. High score for a functional scale represents a high / healthy level of functioning, a high score for the global health status / QoL represents a high QoL, but a high score for a symptom scale / item represents a high level of symptomatology / problems.

    Time frame: longitudinal assessment till 2 years

  9. Quality of life assessment: EORTC QLQ HN35

    As per the EORTC QLQ HN35 questionnaire At follow up of 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post treatment The head \& neck cancer module incorporates seven multi-item scales that assess pain, swallowing, senses (taste and smell), speech, social eating, social contact and sexuality. There are also eleven single items. For all items and scales, high scores indicate more problems (i.e. there are no function scales in which high scores would mean better functioning). The scoring approach for the QLQ-H\&N35 is identical in principle to that for the symptom scales / single items of the QLQ-C30.

    Time frame: longitudinal assessment till 2 years

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
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 Sep 11, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05187091
Lead sponsor
All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Responsible party
Aman Sharma (Assistant Professor, All India Institute of Medical Sciences) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 11, 2022
Start date
Jul 12, 2021
Primary completion
Aug 12, 2026
Completion
Dec 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 11, 2026

Study contacts

Aman Sharma, MD
Contact
amans757@gmail.com
+917018529339

Oversight

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

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