ClinicalTrials.gg
SuspendedNCT06078527Updated Nov 5, 2026

Assessment of Laryngopharyngeal Sensation: Cancer Survivor Cohort

An observational study in Presbylarynx, Aspiration and Spasmodic Dysphonia, sponsored by University of California, San Francisco. Suspended at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-05.

Sponsored by University of California, San Francisco · Observational

Why this study was suspended
Operational
Updated Nov 5, 2026Now SuspendedStart date moved+6 moreGo to Updates ↓
Study type
Observational
Model
Case-crossover
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
505
Ages
18 Years to 85 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

A previous study completed in 2022 (NCT05158179) was conducted using cohorts of healthy controls, and adults with general laryngopharyngeal disorders. This study will expand on the previous research to include a separate cohort of adults being seen in clinic for an existing laryngopharyngeal disorder resulting from previous radiation or other cancer treatments.

Read the detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Laryngeal sensation as measured by elicitation of laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR).

II. To compare the elicitation of laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR) threshold/probability to the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS).

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess patient-reported laryngeal sensation (PRLS) following stimulus and perceptual strength.

II. To assess laryngopharyngeal responses (e.g., cough, gag, swallow) following stimulus.

III. To assess patient reported outcomes (PROs).

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To compare the elicitation of laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR) threshold/probability to:

  • modified barium swallow (MBS) study kinematics;
  • MBS Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity (MBS DIGEST);
  • MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory patient reported outcomes measure (MDADI PROMs);
  • Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity for Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (DIGEST-FEES)
  • Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing Visual Analysis of Swallowing Efficiency and Safety (FEES VASES).

OUTLINE:

Participants receiving care at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) for an existing laryngopharyngeal disorder resulting from previous radiation or other cancer treatments will undergo laryngopharyngeal sensory testing at a single visit. There will be up to 2 years of medical record follow up after completing the main study. Data collected from this separate cohort may be compared with historical data collected in a previous study (NCT05158179).

02

Conditions studied

  • Presbylarynx
  • Aspiration
  • Spasmodic Dysphonia
  • Globus Pharyngeus
  • Larynx Paralysis
  • Laryngeal Disease
  • Vocal Cord Paralysis
  • Iatrogenic Injury
  • Sensory Neuropathy

Keywords

  • Cancer survivors
  • Previous cancer treatment
  • Laryngopharyngeal disorders
03

In context

Dysphonia

132 studies on the registry are indexed under Dysphonia; 38 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 505 is above the median of 123 across 40 observational studies indexed under Dysphonia.

Browse Dysphonia studies →

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Francisco is the lead sponsor of 2,169 studies on the registry; 372 are open to participants now.

Of its 267 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 202 (76%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

The study population will include patients recruited from the UCSF Voice and Swallowing Center and other clinics within the UCSF Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Healthy control participants will be recruited from UCSF Health and the broader UCSF community.

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. Age \<=18 years.
  2. Individuals without a laryngopharyngeal disorder (health controls) or with a laryngopharyngeal disorder. Laryngopharyngeal disorder includes but is not limited to: presbylarynx, aspiration; spasmodic dysphonia; globus pharynges; vocal fold paralysis; iatrogenic injury to the larynx; muscle tension dysphonia; neurogenic dysphagia; laryngeal sensory neuropathy; and laryngopharyngeal disorders resulting from prior radiation therapy in individuals with a history of head and neck cancer who have completed radiation therapy as primary or cancer treatment
  3. Ability and willingness to comply with study procedures.
  4. Ability to understand a written document, and the willingness to sign it.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Non-English speaking.
  2. Laryngopharyngeal structures are not accessible on exam.
  3. Known to any study-related procedure, or history of being unable to tolerate laryngoscopy.
  4. Vocal fold immobility or severe hypomobility on adduction.
  5. For head and neck cancer survivors only: Currently undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer (i.e., primary/ radiation therapy treatment plan is not yet completed).
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

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.

Adjuvant and neoadjuvant

Neoadjuvant treatment is given before the main treatment (usually surgery), often to shrink a tumour. Adjuvant treatment is given after it, to lower the chance of the cancer coming back.

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.

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

Observational model
Case-crossover
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
505 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Cancer Survivors

    Participants will attend a single 15-30 minute study session during which they will answer questionnaires (5-10 minutes) and undergo laryngopharyngeal sensory testing (10-20 minutes). There will be up to 2 years of medical record follow up after completing the main study.

    Device: Cheung-Bearelly Aesthesiometer · Procedure: Transnasal Laryngoscopy · Other: Questionnaires

  • Healthy Controls

    Participants will attend a single 15-30 minute study session during which they will answer questionnaires (5-10 minutes) and undergo laryngopharyngeal sensory testing (10-20 minutes). There will be up to 2 years of medical record follow up after completing the main study.

    Device: Cheung-Bearelly Aesthesiometer · Procedure: Transnasal Laryngoscopy · Other: Questionnaires

Interventions

  • DeviceCheung-Bearelly Aesthesiometer

    The Cheung-Bearelly Aesthesiometer will be used to deliver a range of calibrated stimuli through the channeled flexible laryngoscope to assess sensation of the laryngopharynx.

    Also known as: Aesthesiometer

  • ProcedureTransnasal Laryngoscopy

    A procedure to examine your larynx (voice box)

    Also known as: Transnasal Flexible Laryngoscopy

  • OtherQuestionnaires

    Patient-reported health and behavioral outcomes measures will be administered

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Percentage of participants with triggered/positive laryngeal adduction response (LAR)

    Elicitation of LAR is defined as a unilateral or bilateral laryngeal adduction immediately following laryngeal stimulus through frame-by-frame analysis of video recordings (visualized on laryngoscopy). An acceptable tactile stimulus is near orthogonal (less than 30 degrees deviation) to the mucosal surface and unobstructed by salivary forces. The percentage of participants with LAR will be reported

    Time frame: 1 day

  2. Median scores on the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS)

    The PAS is a widely-used ordinal scale metric used to describe severity of aspiration. The PAS score is multidimensional, i.e., include several observations within each score: (1) depth of airway invasion (material above, contacting, or below the level of vocal folds; (2) whether or not there is material remaining after the swallow (ejected, not ejected); and (3) the patient's response to material present in the airway (effort to clear the material). The PAS is an 8-point ordinal scale, with a total score ranging from 1 representing the least and 8 representing the highest or most severe score.

    Time frame: 1 day

Secondary outcomes

  1. Median scores on the participant-reported laryngeal sensation (PRLS)

    The PRLS is defined as a binary response to participants' self-reported detection of laryngeal stimulation. Once the participant indicates they perceived the stimulus, the research team will ask the participant to provide a perceptual strength rating on a 1-10 scale, with higher scores indicated a greater strength of stimulus.

    Time frame: 1 day

  2. Percentage of participants with visualized laryngopharyngeal responses

    Percentage of participants with visualized laryngopharyngeal responses (e.g., cough, gag, swallow) following stimulus will be recorded by the clinician and reported.

    Time frame: 1 day

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
Status
Not yet recruiting→Suspended Operational
changed Nov 5, 2026
Start date
Nov 1, 2026→Jun 30, 2027
Nov 5, 2026
Primary completion
Jan 31, 2029→Jun 30, 2028
Nov 5, 2026
Study completion
Jan 31, 2029→Jun 30, 2028
Nov 5, 2026
Enrollment
40→505
Nov 5, 2026
Eligibility
Revised
Nov 5, 2026
Interventions
Arms added: Healthy Controls
Nov 5, 2026
Design
Study type Interventional→Observational
Nov 5, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Nov 5, 2026
    Not yet recruiting→Suspended
    Why stopped Operational
    Start date Nov 1, 2026→Jun 30, 2027
    Primary completion Jan 31, 2029→Jun 30, 2028
    Study completion Jan 31, 2029→Jun 30, 2028
    Enrollment 40→505
    Eligibility Revised
    Interventions Arms added: Healthy Controls
    Design Study type Interventional→Observational
    + 2 other changes: verification date and contact details

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06078527
Collaborators
National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 12, 2023
Start date
Jun 30, 2027 (estimated)
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 30, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 5, 2026

Study contacts

Yue Ma, MD
principal investigator · University of California, San Francisco

Oversight

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

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This study is suspended, as verified in Nov 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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