Tongue-out Radiation Therapy (TORT) for the Mitigation of Radiotherapy-related Toxicities in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

Our institution recently began incorporating a novel "tongue-out" radiation therapy (TORT) technique for patients with head and neck tumors at particular subsites (oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx). Protruding the tongue, i.e. "tongue-out" position, induces anatomical changes that facilitate decreased radiation dose to the oral tongue and PCM. The long-term goal is to determine whether TORT results in reduced severity and faster recovery from acute treatment-related toxicities (particularly mucositis, dysphagia, and dysgeusia) and improved long-term swallowing function and taste compared to traditional "tongue-in" RT for patients with HNC.

NCT Number	NCT07227792
Lead Sponsor	Yvonne Mowery Collaborators: Radiological Society of North America
Conditions	Head and Neck Carcinoma
Enrollment	35 participants
Start Date	2025-11-23
Primary Completion	2027-11-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2029-01-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-12-17