Group-Mediated Cognitive Behavioral Resistance Exercise Intervention in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemoradiation Treatment

June 2, 2026 updated by: Dukagjin Blakaj, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

A Group-Mediated Cognitive Behavioral Resistance Exercise Intervention in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemoradiation Treatment

This clinical trial examines a group-mediated cognitive behavioral resistance exercise intervention in head and neck cancer patients who are undergoing chemoradiation treatment. Chemoradiation is the established standard of care for locally advanced head and neck cancer patients. However, many head and neck cancer patients experience clinically meaningful declines in muscle mass, physical function, and quality of life during and following treatment. Resistance exercise has been shown to improve muscle mass, body composition, and physical function when integrated with appropriate standard of care nutritional counseling/supplementation. This trial may help researchers determine the important of integrating exercise interventions with routine cancer care.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine the feasibility of implementing a group-mediated cognitive behavioral (GMCB) personalized resistance exercise (RE) intervention in head and neck cancer (HNCa) patients undergoing chemoradiation (CRT).

II. To examine the effects of GMCB RE intervention upon functional limitations, body composition, and quality of life (QOL) in HNCa patients undergoing CRT.

OUTLINE:

Patients undergo personalized resistance exercises over 1 hour daily. Patients receive dietary counseling over 60 minutes at week 1 and then over 15-30 minutes weekly for up to 6 weeks. Patients also receive group-based behavioral counseling twice weekly (BIW) in weeks 1-8, once a week (QW) in weeks 9-12, and then twice a month in weeks 13-24.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
        • Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with locally advanced human papillomavirus (HPV)+ stage III-IV head and neck (HN) squamous cell carcinomas undergoing concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Patients with prior cancers or post-surgical patients needing adjuvant therapy will not be allowed to participate in this study
  • Undergoing planned course of standard of care CRT for a total of 33 to 35 RT fractions (six and a half or seven weeks of treatment)
  • Adults 18 years old (yo) or older who have clearance from their primary care provider (PCP) or medical oncologist to participate in resistance exercises during treatment. These patients will be monitored very closely on a weekly basis during the trial
  • All participants must be free of severe heart or systemic disease or medical contraindications that would make supervised RE participation unsafe
  • Receive medical clearance to participate from treating primary care physician or Medical Oncologists
  • Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent
  • Willing and physically able to participate in RE

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe heart or systemic disease or medical contraindications to exercise
  • Diagnosis of cancer other than HNCa
  • Musculoskeletal/Neurological disorder inhibiting them from safe exercise
  • Pregnant or nursing women
  • Unable to give informed consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Supportive care (resistance exercise, counseling)
Patients undergo personalized resistance exercises over 1 hour daily. Patients receive dietary counseling over 60 minutes at week 1 and then over 15-30 minutes weekly for up to 6 weeks. Patients also receive group-based behavioral counseling BIW in weeks 1-8, QW in weeks 9-12, and then twice a month in weeks 13-24.
Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment
Ancillary studies
Other Names:
  • Quality of Life Assessment
Other: Questionnaire Administration
Ancillary studies
Other: Counseling
Receive group-based behavioral counseling
Other Names:
  • Counseling Intervention
Behavioral: Dietary Counseling and Surveillance
Receive dietary counseling
Other: Resistance Training
Undergo personalized resistance exercises
Other Names:
  • Strength Training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Recruitment rates
Time Frame: At baseline
Number of patients agreed to participate by signing the informed consent
At baseline
Adherence of Intervention
Time Frame: At 3-month
Adherence will be defined via session attendance and compliance with the prescribed sets, repetitions, and loads of the RE prescription as assessed using exercise logs, upon which participants will record all exercise performed at the center or independently..
At 3-month
Adherence of Intervention
Time Frame: At 6-month
Adherence will be defined via session attendance and compliance with the prescribed sets, repetitions, and loads of the RE prescription as assessed using exercise logs, upon which participants will record all exercise performed at the center or independently..
At 6-month
Incidence of adverse events
Time Frame: At 3-month
Monitored by direct observation and or patient reporting of signs and symptoms using NCI CTCAE version 5
At 3-month
Incidence of adverse events
Time Frame: At 6-month
Monitored by direct observation and or patient reporting of signs and symptoms using NCI CTCAE version 5
At 6-month
Retention rates
Time Frame: At 3-month
Rates will be calculated prospectively throughout the trial
At 3-month
Retention rates
Time Frame: At 6-month
Rates will be calculated prospectively throughout the trial
At 6-month
Functional Battery
Time Frame: At 3-month
Functional Battery Objective Functional Performance will be assessed using 3 valid and reliable timed performance-related mobility tasks: 400-meter walk (the primary outcome), stair-climb, and lift and carry task. Assessments of Mobility-Related Self-Efficacy to complete each functional task will also be completed with the tests.
At 3-month
Functional Battery
Time Frame: At 6-month
Functional Battery Objective Functional Performance will be assessed using 3 valid and reliable timed performance-related mobility tasks: 400-meter walk (the primary outcome), stair-climb, and lift and carry task. Assessments of Mobility-Related Self-Efficacy to complete each functional task will also be completed with the tests.
At 6-month
Patient Reported Outcomes (Quality of Life/Fatigue/Physical Function)
Time Frame: At 3-month
QoF will be assessed using both global and disease-specific measures including the satisfaction with life scale, the SF-12, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Head and Neck (FACT - HN) and the EORTC Quality of Life scale. Fatigue symptoms will be assessed with the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI).
At 3-month
Patient Reported Outcomes (Quality of Life/Fatigue/Physical Function)
Time Frame: At 6-month
QoF will be assessed using both global and disease-specific measures including the satisfaction with life scale, the SF-12, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Head and Neck (FACT - HN) and the EORTC Quality of Life scale. Fatigue symptoms will be assessed with the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI).
At 6-month
Muscular strength
Time Frame: At 3-month
Muscular strength will be assessed using standardized one-repetition maximum testing protocols for the chest press and leg extension exercises.
At 3-month
Muscular strength
Time Frame: At 6-month
Muscular strength will be assessed using standardized one-repetition maximum testing protocols for the chest press and leg extension exercises.
At 6-month
Anthropometric measurements
Time Frame: At 3-month
Anthropometric measurements are a series of quantitative measurements of the muscle, bone, and adipose tissue used to assess the composition of the body. The core elements of anthropometry are height, weight, body mass index (BMI), body circumferences (waist, hip, and limbs), and skinfold thickness. Anthropometric measurements will be taken in a consultation room to ensure the privacy of the participant.
At 3-month
Anthropometric measurements
Time Frame: At 6-month
Anthropometric measurements are a series of quantitative measurements of the muscle, bone, and adipose tissue used to assess the composition of the body. The core elements of anthropometry are height, weight, body mass index (BMI), body circumferences (waist, hip, and limbs), and skinfold thickness. Anthropometric measurements will be taken in a consultation room to ensure the privacy of the participant.
At 6-month
Body composition
Time Frame: At 3-month
Body composition will be assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA; GE Health Care Lunar, Madison, WI) for all outcome measures. The DEXA scans will be used to determine total body composition including bone-mineral density, as well as, percentage body fat and fat-free mass for all body regions.
At 3-month
Body composition
Time Frame: At 6-month
Body composition will be assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA; GE Health Care Lunar, Madison, WI) for all outcome measures. The DEXA scans will be used to determine total body composition including bone-mineral density, as well as, percentage body fat and fat-free mass for all body regions.
At 6-month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Dukagjin Blakaj, MD, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 19, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 22, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 20, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 6, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 28, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 2, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 2, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • OSU-19113
  • NCI-2020-13834 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

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