Head and Neck Cancer (H&N)NCT07334938
Effects of Far Infrared Rays and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Short Term Prognosis of Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Curative Treatment
A study testing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Far-Infrared Therapy in people with Head and Neck Cancer (H&N), run by Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital at 1 site in Taiwan.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether far-infrared therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can improve postoperative side effects in patients with head and neck cancer. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 30 to 85 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Head and Neck Cancer (H&N)
- What is being tested?
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Far-Infrared Therapy
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 90 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTaiwan
- Study dates
- 1 May 2024to 31 Mar 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 30 to 85 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Patients aged 30 to 85 years with a confirmed diagnosis of head and neck cancer.
- Patients scheduled to undergo surgical resection.
- Patients who are conscious, able to communicate verbally or in writing, and willing to complete questionnaires and comply with all study procedures.
Who cannot join
- Presence of open wounds or skin lesions at the sites where transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation electrodes would be applied.
- Contraindications to transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation, including a history of epilepsy, brain tumors, arteriovenous malformations, or implanted cardiac pacemakers or defibrillators, to avoid potential adverse effects of electrical stimulation.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Taiwan1 site
Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation
Hualien City, Hualien County, 97002
About this study
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether far-infrared therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can improve postoperative side effects in patients with head and neck cancer. The main questions this study aims to answer are:
Can far-infrared therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduce pain and improve neck range of motion?
Read more
Can far-infrared therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduce inflammation?
Researchers will compare three groups:
Group A: control group; Group B: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; Group C: far-infrared therapy combined with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, to evaluate differences in pain, neck range of motion, and inflammation.
Participants will receive the assigned intervention in the morning and evening for five consecutive days. Outcome measurements will be conducted on the first and fifth days.
- Conditions
- Head and Neck Cancer (H&N)
- Being tested
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), Far-Infrared Therapy
- Keywords
- Head and Neck Cancer (H&N), far infrared, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
- Medical subject headings
- Head and Neck Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)Device
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is applied to the neck region twice daily, in the morning and evening, for five consecutive days.
Far-Infrared TherapyDevice
Far-infrared therapy is applied to the neck region twice daily, in the morning and evening, for five consecutive days.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | No intervention | routine care |
| Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) |
| TENS Combined With Far-Infrared Therapy | Experimental | Not described Receives: Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS); Device: Far-Infrared Therapy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pain intensity
Pain intensity will be assessed using a numeric rating scale (NRS), with scores ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable).
Measured: Preoperative baseline (before surgery), postoperative day 10, and postoperative day 15
Secondary outcomes (2)
Neck range of motion (ROM)
Active neck range of motion will be measured in degrees, including flexion, extension, bilateral rotation, and bilateral lateral flexion.
Measured: Preoperative baseline (before surgery), postoperative day 10, and postoperative day 15
Inflammatory markers (LMR, NLR)
Inflammatory markers will be calculated from complete blood counts, including the Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio(LMR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)
Measured: Preoperative baseline (before surgery), postoperative day 10, and postoperative day 15
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Jan 2026
- Study start1 May 2024
- Primary completion30 Nov 2025
- Study completion31 Mar 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Head and Neck Cancer (H&N)Studies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07334938
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB113-052-A
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 16 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 13 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Far Infrared Rays and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Short Term Prognosis of Head and Neck Cancer Patients Receiving Curative Treatment
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07334938
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- IRB113-052-A
- Conditions
- Head and Neck Cancer (H&N)
- Keywords
- Head and Neck Cancer (H&N), far infrared, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Buddhist Tzu Chi General HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 May 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Mar 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether far-infrared therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can improve postoperative side effects in patients with head and neck cancer. The main questions this study aims to answer are:
Can far-infrared therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduce pain and improve neck range of motion?
Can far-infrared therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation reduce inflammation?
Researchers will compare three groups:
Group A: control group; Group B: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; Group C: far-infrared therapy combined with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, to evaluate differences in pain, neck range of motion, and inflammation.
Participants will receive the assigned intervention in the morning and evening for five consecutive days. Outcome measurements will be conducted on the first and fifth days.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control Group | No intervention | –routine care |
| Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) | Active comparator | Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) |
| TENS Combined With Far-Infrared Therapy | Experimental | Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), Device: Far-Infrared Therapy |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 30 to 85 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Patients aged 30 to 85 years with a confirmed diagnosis of head and neck cancer.
- Patients scheduled to undergo surgical resection.
- Patients who are conscious, able to communicate verbally or in writing, and willing to complete questionnaires and comply with all study procedures.
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Presence of open wounds or skin lesions at the sites where transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation electrodes would be applied.
- Contraindications to transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation, including a history of epilepsy, brain tumors, arteriovenous malformations, or implanted cardiac pacemakers or defibrillators, to avoid potential adverse effects of electrical stimulation.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is applied to the neck region twice daily, in the morning and evening, for five consecutive days. | Device | TENS Combined With Far-Infrared Therapy, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) |
| Far-Infrared TherapyFar-infrared therapy is applied to the neck region twice daily, in the morning and evening, for five consecutive days. | Device | TENS Combined With Far-Infrared Therapy |
Primary outcome
Pain intensity
Time frame: Preoperative baseline (before surgery), postoperative day 10, and postoperative day 15
Pain intensity will be assessed using a numeric rating scale (NRS), with scores ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable).
2 secondary outcomes
Neck range of motion (ROM)
Time frame: Preoperative baseline (before surgery), postoperative day 10, and postoperative day 15
Inflammatory markers (LMR, NLR)
Time frame: Preoperative baseline (before surgery), postoperative day 10, and postoperative day 15
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 13 Jan 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and Far-Infrared Therapy in people with Head and Neck Cancer (H&N), run by Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital at 1 site in Taiwan.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Taiwan. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pain intensity (time frame: Preoperative baseline (before surgery), postoperative day 10, and postoperative day 15). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Jan 2026.