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Head and Neck Cancer Studies / Oral Health in Cancer Treatment · Journal article
Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy - an International Journal · September 11, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This is an uncontrolled case series of five head and neck cancer patients treated with glossopharyngeal breathing and mouth opening exercises over two weeks. While pre-post measures show improvements in dyspnea, quality of life, and maximum mouth opening, the absence of a control group, small sample, and brief intervention period limit the ability to attribute effects to the intervention or generalize findings.
Uncontrolled case series. Five patients with diagnosed head and neck cancer; setting and specific eligibility criteria not detailed.. Intervention: Glossopharyngeal breathing and mouth opening exercises. n = 5.
Dyspnea (MMRC score) reduced from mean 1.0 at baseline to 0.0 post-intervention Quality of life (FACT H&N) increased from 87.00 ± 5.00 to 140.60 ± 3.85 (p < 0.001) Maximum mouth opening increased from 18.20 ± 1.48 to 29.20 ± 1.79 mm (p < 0.001)
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
These findings are preliminary and do not yet establish whether glossopharyngeal breathing and mouth opening exercises should be incorporated into routine HNC rehabilitation. A randomized controlled trial with a larger sample and longer follow-up is needed to assess efficacy and durability relative to standard care.
A small uncontrolled case series (n=5) with a two-week intervention and no comparator, reporting surrogate endpoints and quality-of-life measures without a control group or long-term follow-up.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
These findings are preliminary and do not yet establish whether glossopharyngeal breathing and mouth opening exercises should be incorporated into routine HNC rehabilitation. A randomized controlled trial with a larger sample and longer follow-up is needed to assess efficacy and durability relative to standard care.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Background:Globally, head and neck cancer (HNC) ranks as the seventh most frequent malignancy, representing over 660,000 new diagnoses and approximately 325,000 fatalities each year. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of Glossopharyngeal breathing and mouth opening exercise in Head and Neck Cancer Patients. Methods: Five patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer were enrolled using purposive sampling. Data on dyspnea (modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale), Quality of life with FACT H and N questionnaire (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy- Head & Neck Questionnaire) and maximum mouth opening (Ruller) were collected before and after a two-week intervention. Statistical analysis was performed using paired t-tests. Results: Pre-post analysis showed marked improvement in dyspnea, with the mean MMRC score reducing from 1.0 at baseline to 0.0 following the intervention. Quality of life, assessed using the FACT H&N scale, demonstrated a statistically significant increase from 87.00 ± 5.00 at baseline to 140.60 ± 3.85 post-intervention (p < 0.001). Mouth opening, measured using the Ruler test, also showed a significant improvement, with mean scores increasing from 18.20 ± 1.48 to 29.20 ± 1.79 after the intervention (p < 0.001). Conclusion:This study shows significant improvement in the dyspnea, Quality of life and mouth opening range. These improvements suggest a potential role of this intervention in enhancing overall rehabilitation outcomes and functional independence in head and neck cancer patients. Key Message: The effectiveness of glossopharyngeal breathing combined with mouth opening exercises in improving functional capacity, reducing dyspnea, and enhancing quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer.
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