NCT01032928

Brief Summary

Cancers of the head and neck require surgical, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments that are intended to cure the disease. These treatments have toxic effects on muscles and structures that are necessary to swallow safely and efficiently. The resulting swallowing problems (dysphagia) often remain chronic for Veterans and interfere with their ability to eat and drink. The cost burden to the VA health system is high. There is an urgent need to develop rehabilitative treatments that lessen these burdens. The proposed research is designed to test a novel swallowing therapy that includes the coordination of breathing with swallowing. Our study will train medically and surgically treated, chronically dysphagic Veterans with histories of oropharyngeal cancer in a novel therapy that involves both swallowing and respiratory systems. If the therapy is found to be effective, the long term goal of the project is to extend the study to a multi-site, clinical trial and test the longstanding effect of this treatment compared to other swallowing therapies on swallowing function, QOL and cost.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
30

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for phase_2

Timeline
Completed

Started Jun 2011

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 14, 2009

Completed
2 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

December 16, 2009

Completed
1.5 years until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

June 1, 2011

Completed
2.1 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 1, 2013

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 1, 2013

Completed
1.3 years until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

December 4, 2014

Completed
Last Updated

January 1, 2015

Status Verified

December 1, 2014

Enrollment Period

2.1 years

First QC Date

December 14, 2009

Results QC Date

November 25, 2014

Last Update Submit

December 9, 2014

Conditions

Keywords

SwallowingDysphagiaBreathing and swallowingOropharyngeal cancer

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Optimal Respiratory - Swallow Phase

    Respiratory swallow patterns were collected using nasal airflow and respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP) of each swallow during the modified barium swallow study. The movements of the ribcage and abdomen were recorded using RIP; data synchronized and recorded using the KayPentax Digital Swallow Workstation Signals Lab. Subjects were categorized as optimal (expiratory-expiratory) versus non-optimal (non-expiratory-expiratory).

    Patient were assessed pre-treatment, one week post treatment and one month post treatment. Treatment sessions were twice weekly for up to 4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Percentage of Impairment According to the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP)

    Patient were assessed pre-treatment, one week post treatment and one month post treatment. Treatment sessions were twice weekly for up to 4 weeks

  • Percentage of Impairment According to the Penetration-Aspiration Scale

    Patient were assessed pre-treatment, one week post treatment and one month post treatment. Treatment sessions were twice weekly for up to 4 weeks

Study Arms (1)

Respiratory Phase Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Chronically dysphagic, medically stable patients at least 6 months post treatment for head and neck cancer with non-optimal respiratory-swallowing patterns participated in up to 8 sessions of respiratory phase training to learn an optimal respiratory - swallow phase pattern

Behavioral: Respiratory-Swallow Phase training

Interventions

Patients were presented with visually guided respiratory feedback to train optimal respiratory-swallow coordination patterns.

Respiratory Phase Training

Eligibility Criteria

Age21 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • at least 21 years of age
  • agreed to participate in this study and signed an informed consent, either completed by the participant or designated other
  • have chronic impairments in oropharyngeal swallowing function following chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgical intervention for the treatment of first time diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
  • have completed medical treatments for his/her cancer and any traditional swallowing therapy at least 6 months earlier
  • pass a cognitive screening (COGNISTAT)
  • have at least one area of impairment (initiation of pharyngeal swallow, anterior hyolaryngeal excursion, extent and duration of PES opening, tongue base retraction, pharyngeal residue) as indicated by the results of the pre-intervention MBSImP (total sum MBSImP
  • have PAS scores \>/= 3 on 10% of swallows on pre-intervention MBSS
  • have a non-optimal (E-I, I-E, or I-I) breathing pattern on 60% of trial swallows.

You may not qualify if:

  • known allergy or dietary restriction for food or contrast materials used during the exam
  • evidence of persistent or recurrent disease on physical examination of the head and neck
  • evidence of esophageal stricture noted on MBS
  • recurrent oropharyngeal cancer and/or are being treated for other cancer(s) concurrently
  • severe COPD (see Pulmonary Criteria below)
  • nasogastric feeding tube
  • recent change in swallowing status characterized by increase in perceived or observed -swallowing problems by patient, family or testing SLP
  • any co-occurring neurological impairment affecting muscle strength and/or cognition
  • history of aspiration pneumonia over the past 12 months.
  • fail cognitive screening
  • absence of swallowing impairment
  • evidence of esophageal stricture on MBS
  • inability to tolerate at least one of the liquid barium consistencies
  • consistent optimal respiratory-swallow phase patterning

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston

Charleston, South Carolina, 29401-5799, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Martin-Harris B, McFarland D, Hill EG, Strange CB, Focht KL, Wan Z, Blair J, McGrattan K. Respiratory-swallow training in patients with head and neck cancer. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015 May;96(5):885-93. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2014.11.022. Epub 2014 Dec 11.

Related Links

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Deglutition DisordersOropharyngeal NeoplasmsRespiratory Aspiration

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Esophageal DiseasesGastrointestinal DiseasesDigestive System DiseasesPharyngeal DiseasesOtorhinolaryngologic DiseasesPharyngeal NeoplasmsOtorhinolaryngologic NeoplasmsHead and Neck NeoplasmsNeoplasms by SiteNeoplasmsStomatognathic DiseasesRespiration DisordersRespiratory Tract DiseasesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Results Point of Contact

Title
Dr. Bonnie Martin Harris
Organization
Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center

Study Officials

  • Bonnie J Martin-Harris

    Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
Yes

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 2
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Sponsor Type
FED
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 14, 2009

First Posted

December 16, 2009

Study Start

June 1, 2011

Primary Completion

July 1, 2013

Study Completion

September 1, 2013

Last Updated

January 1, 2015

Results First Posted

December 4, 2014

Record last verified: 2014-12

Locations