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Evaluating a Low-Cost Therapeutic Device in Managing Head and Neck Cancer Patients With Radiation-Related Trismus

Design of a Low-Cost Therapeutic Device for Patients With Radiation-Related Trismus

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05671861
Enrollment
35
Registered
2023-01-05
Start date
2023-04-27
Completion date
2028-03-31
Last updated
2026-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Head and Neck Cancer, Trismus

Keywords

Radiation-related

Brief summary

This trial evaluates how well a new therapeutic device works in managing trismus in patients who received radiation treatment for head and neck cancer. Radiation therapy is a common form of treatment in patients with head and neck cancers. However, changes to surrounding tissue following radiation therapy may lead to trismus, an inability to open the mouth fully. This can create significant functional impairment leading to malnutrition due to impaired chewing, risk of dental infections due to impaired oral hygiene, difficulty with speech, and decreased health-related quality of life. Exercise therapy is the mainstay of treatment for post-radiation trismus to help improve mobility and flexibility and increase range of mouth opening. This new device is non-invasive and is similar to other jaw stretching devices where a mouthpiece is placed between the teeth and a hand-lever is used to spread open the upper and lower jaw. However, it will also have additional sensors to measure pressure exerted by the hands and jaw as well as the distance to open the mouth which could help guide therapy. This study may help doctors customize a device to patient-specific needs, provide real-time feedback, and encourage compliance for trismus exercise therapy.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To assess the clinical efficacy of the trismus device, as measured by the change in maximum interincisal opening over the six-week treatment period. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: I. To assess participants compliance rates and jaw opening pressures when using this device. OUTLINE: Participants are assigned to 1 of 2 parts. PART I: Participants test the trismus device and complete questionnaires on study. PART II: Participants undergo exercise therapy with the trismus device under supervision of a speech language pathologist on study. Participants will be on study for up to 6 weeks with a follow-up visit 7 days after completion.

Interventions

DEVICETrismus Device Prototype

Device is noninvasive and will be inserted between patient's upper and lower teeth

OTHERQuestionnaires

Surveys will be administered to participants

OTHERMobile Application

A study-specific, accompanying secure mobile application for users to track progress will be created.

Sponsors

Mount Zion Health Fund
CollaboratorOTHER
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation
CollaboratorOTHER
University of California, San Francisco
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Male or female \>= 18 years of age at visit 1. * Documentation of a radiation-induced trismus diagnosis as evidenced by one or more clinical features consistent with the trismus phenotype (maximum interincisal opening (MIO) \< 35 mm) and a history of head and neck radiation * Written informed consent (and assent when applicable) obtained from subject or subject's legal representative and ability for subject to comply with the requirements of the study.

Exclusion criteria

* Presence of a condition or abnormality that in the opinion of the investigator would compromise the safety of the patient or the quality of the data. * Minors (age \< 18 years) or patients with inability to provide informed consent.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean change in maximum interincisal opening (MIO) over timeUp to 6 weeksThe mean change in MIO from baseline to end of treatment at 6 weeks will be reported

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of participants with device-related adverse eventsUp to 1 yearDuring the study, research staff consisting of trained speech language pathologists will monitor patients undergoing exercise therapy for any adverse events. Adverse events for the eligible population will include the number of patients for whom the event occurred by the severity and relationship to study device. Adverse event rates will be coded by body system and Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) classification term and graded using the CTCAE grading scale of (1) Mild to (5) Death.
Rate of complianceUp to 1 yearPercentage of participants who utilize the addition of the study-specific mobile application designed to track participant progress and participant compliance.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026