Home › Head and Neck Cancer › NCT07756684
Feasibility of Cough Skill Training in Individuals With Head and Neck Cancer
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Prior diagnosis of head and neck cancer at least 6 months post-diagnosis * Completed treatment for head and neck cancer, including surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy * Medically stable and able to follow commands and produce a voluntary cough * English speaking Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to provide informed consent assessed by a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of \<20 * Unable to follow study instructions * Unable to produce a voluntary cough * History of neurologic disease * Recent laryngeal surgery or vocal fold injury * Active respiratory infection or febrile illness within the past 14 days * Chronic, severe, or unstable respiratory disease * Asthma or bronchitis * Smoking within the past five years * Uncontrolled hypertension * Recent myocardial infarction, unstable angina, stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure within the past 6 months * Significant uncontrolled arrhythmia
About the study
This preliminary study will examine the feasibility of a cough skill training treatment approach to rehabilitate voluntary cough function in people with head and neck cancer. Cough skill training focuses on practicing cough as a compensatory strategy for when food or liquid enters the airway. Primary outcomes will be feasibility and immediate treatment effects. The investigators hypothesize that the treatment will be feasible and will result in improvements to voluntary cough peak expiratory flow rate.
What is being tested
- Handheld cough device (device)
Sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus · Participants: 10 · Started: Oct 28, 2026
Contact the study team
- James Borders, PhD CCC-SLP · Phone: 617-353-3379
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07756684
Locations in the U.S.
| Massachusetts | Airway Protection Research Lab at Boston University, Boston |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Nov 15, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.