Articulatory Adaptation Following Oral Cancer Treatment (SPOKE)

Speech Flexibility in Adulthood Following Oral Cancer Treatment: Acoustic and Kinematic Explorations

The goal of this longitudinal study is to learn more about the articulatory consequences of surgical oral cancer treatment. The main aims are to study the coordination and development of speech articulation of patients who will undergo surgical treatment for oral cancer longitudinally and whether individual differences in the reliance on auditory or tactile information can predict the success of speech compensatory strategies.

Participants will perform multiple speech tasks while motion tracking sensors track the articulatory gestures.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Speech Disorders; Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Electromagnetic Articulography

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 50

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Thomas Tienkamp, MA; Phone Number: +31 50 36 37051; Email: t.b.tienkamp@umcg.nl
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Max Witjes, PhD; Phone Number: +31 (0)50 361 3841; Email: m.j.h.witjes@umcg.nl

Study Locations

• Netherlands
  • Groningen, Netherlands, 9713 GZ
    • Recruiting
    • University Medical Centre Groningen
    • Contact: Thomas Tienkamp, MA; Phone Number: +31 50 36 37051; Email: t.b.tienkamp@umcg.nl
  • Groningen, Netherlands, 9712 EK
    • Recruiting
    • Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen
    • Contact: Thomas Tienkamp, MA; Phone Number: +31 50 36 37051; Email: t.b.tienkamp@rug.nl

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adults with and without oral cancer who speak Dutch as their native language

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Diagnosed with T1 or T2 tumor in the oral cavity
2. At least 18 years old and able to provide informed consent
3. Native speaker of Dutch
4. Has nog been treated for oral cancer before

Exclusion Criteria:

1a. Recurrence of disease (for patients)

1b. Treated for oral cancer (for healthy controls) 2. Speech problems (e.g., stuttering) 3. Problems with sight or hearing that impede reading or understanding instructions. When glasses or a hearing aid resolve these problems, then participants are not excluded.

4. Neurological or psychological disorders (e.g., stroke) 5. Non-removable metal in, on or around the head (piercings, braces, pacemaker, electrodes) 6. Self-reported signs of depression

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Individuals treated for oral cancer; Dutch native speakers (18+) who will undergo surgical treatment for a T1 or T2 tumour on the tongue.	Other: Electromagnetic Articulography; Motion tracking sensors will track articulatory movements of the tongue, jaw and lips
Control speakers; Dutch native speakers (18+) without self-reported speech problems.	Other: Electromagnetic Articulography; Motion tracking sensors will track articulatory movements of the tongue, jaw and lips

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Articulatory gestures	Articulatory movements in three dimensions of the tongue, lips and jaw as measured by the NDI Vox Electromagnetic Articulograph. Measures include: articulator speed (mm/s), total displacement (mm), coordinates (x,y,z) during specific gestures.	2022-2025
Acoustic outcomes	Speech acoustics will be measured in Praat and include the first and second formants of vowels (in Hz), global movement size in terms of acoustic working space (Hz-squared), and the centre of gravity of sibilants (in Hz)	2022-2025

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Medical Center Groningen
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Max Witjes, PhD, University of Groningen

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 10, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 16, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 16, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): May 25, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 30, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 25, 2023
• Last Verified: May 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Articulation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Carcinoma; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Stomatognathic Diseases; Mouth Diseases; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; Mouth Neoplasms; Speech Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: METc 2021/711

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: Will share where legally possible.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No