A Feasibility Study of AI-Assisted Physiotherapy for Oral Cancer Patients

June 8, 2026 updated by: National Taiwan University Hospital

A Feasibility Study of AI-Assisted Physiotherapy for Oromandibular and Neck-Shoulder Mobility in Oral Cancer Patients

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and acceptability of a newly developed artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted physiotherapy system for oromandibular and neck-shoulder range of motion (ROM) in patients who have undergone treatment for oral cancer.

In this single-group, prospective, non-randomized pilot study, recruited participants will receive 4 to 6 weeks of AI-assisted physiotherapy. Participants will undergo a comprehensive clinical evaluation at baseline and post-intervention. During the intervention period, the AI system will perform a daily automated assessment to dynamically generate and adjust personalized exercise programs. Participants will perform these prescribed programs 4 to 6 times daily. Pre- and post-intervention changes, along with key feasibility parameters, acceptability, and safety metrics, will be statistically analyzed to inform future definitive trials.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This is a single-group, prospective, non-randomized pilot feasibility study. Oral cancer patients with trismus or neck-shoulder impairment will be trained to exercise their jaw or neck-shoulder muscles using an AI-assisted physiotherapy assessment system, which is reliable and valid. The study aims to recruit approximately 15 patients who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria. This sample size is sufficient for the primary goal of assessing study procedures, recruitment rates, and study adherence of this supportive care intervention, rather than determining definitive treatment efficacy.

Participants will undergo a comprehensive clinical evaluation at baseline and post-intervention. The 4-to-6-week intervention features a daily automated assessment using a previously validated AI-assisted physiotherapy assessment system. Based on these assessments, an established system clinical workflow then dynamically generates a personalized exercise curriculum for that day. Participants will perform these exercise programs 4 to 6 times daily.

Key feasibility metrics, including recruitment rate, retention rate, intervention adherence, and system acceptability (SUS score), will be summarized using descriptive statistics. Adherence will be monitored automatically via server log data. Following the Intention-to-Treat (ITT) principle, technical dropouts who transition to face-to-face therapy will be documented as a feasibility outcome to identify technical barriers.

Preliminary efficacy will be evaluated by analyzing functional changes from baseline to endpoint, including Maximal Interincisal Opening (MIO), cervical and shoulder ROM, upper extremity function questionnaires, and quality-of-life questionnaires. Depending on data distribution, changes will be analyzed using the Paired t-test or the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Effect size estimates (Cohen's d) and their 95% confidence intervals will be calculated.

This study is expected to provide essential feasibility and safety evidence of an AI-assisted home-based exercise protocol, establishing a foundation and providing sample size calculations for a subsequent randomized controlled trial.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

15

Phase

  • 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 Contact

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taipei, Taiwan, 100
        • School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University
        • Contact:

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Oral cancer patients with trismus, clinical signs of neck or shoulder joint impairment after oral cancer surgery or radiotherapy in recent 12 months
  • Age between 20 and 70 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Could not communicate
  • Had any disorder that could influence movement performance (e.g., stroke, Parkinsonism, head injury)

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: AI-Assisted Physiotherapy Group
AI-assisted physiotherapy system
Behavioral: AI-assisted physiotherapy
This study will recruit 15 oral cancer patients for feasibility testing, and the duration of participation for each subject is 4 to 6 weeks

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility and Intervention Adherence
Time Frame: At the post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Feasibility will be evaluated by calculating the study retention rate, defined as the percentage of enrolled participants who successfully complete the entire study protocol and the post-intervention assessment. Intervention adherence will be automatically tracked and recorded via the system server log data, calculated as the percentage of completed AI-prescribed exercise sessions out of the total prescribed sessions over the 4-to-6-week period.
At the post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
System Usability and Acceptability
Time Frame: At the post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Evaluated using the Chinese version of the System Usability Scale (SUS). The SUS is a 10-item Likert scale providing a global view of subjective usability assessments. Scores range from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate better usability and higher patient acceptability of the AI system.
At the post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Maximal mouth opening (MMO)
Time Frame: Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Measured clinically in millimeters (mm) using TheraBite ROM scale to assess the severity and changes in trismus.
Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Cervical Range of Motion (ROM)
Time Frame: Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Cervical range of motion will be measured in degrees using standard clinical goniometry
Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Shoulder Range of Motion (ROM)
Time Frame: Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Shoulder joint range of motion will be measured in degrees using standard clinical goniometry
Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Upper Extremity Function
Time Frame: Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Evaluated using a standardized upper extremity function questionnaire. Lower scores represent better functional status.
Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Quality of Life (QoL)
Time Frame: Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)
Evaluated using a cancer-specific quality of life questionnaire to assess subjective functional recovery and overall well-being. Higher scores represent better functional status and quality of life.
Baseline and post-intervention endpoint (4 to 6 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

National Taiwan University Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Yueh-Hsia Chen, PhD, School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University

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.

General Publications

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 (Estimated)

June 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 202601018RIND

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared due to privacy considerations and institutional regulations. Although the AI system processes de-identified keypoint data, the dataset may still contain information that could potentially be re-identified. Data sharing may be considered upon reasonable request and subject to institutional review and data protection policies.

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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