New Device Evaluates Head and Neck Cancer Recovery

A new robotic neck brace is developed by researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science that help doctors analyze the impact of cancer treatments on the neck mobility of these patients and guide their recovery.

Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer worldwide in 2018, with 890,000 new cases and 450,000 deaths, accounting for 3% of all cancers and more than 1.5% of all cancer deaths in the United States. Such cancer can spread to lymph nodes in the neck, as well as other organs in the body.

Head and Neck Cancers - Types, Risk Factors, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments
Head and neck cancers usually occur in the squamous cells lining the moist, mucosal surfaces inside the head and neck.

‘A robotic neck brace can help to analyze the impact of head and neck cancer treatment.’

Surgically removing lymph nodes in the neck help the doctors to investigate the risk of spread, but may result in pain and stiffness in the shoulders and neck for years afterward.

Identifying which patients may have issues with neck movement "can be difficult, as the findings are often subtle and challenging to quantify," said Scott Troob, assistant professor of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery and division chief of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

The current techniques and tools that doctors used to access the range of motion in patients who may have lost in their neck and shoulders are somewhat crude.

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To develop a more reliable and portable tool to analyze neck mobility, researchers inspired a robotic neck brace that was previously developed to analyze head and neck motions in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

In partnership with Troob's group, they have now designed a new wearable robotic neck brace. Their study published in the journal Wearable Technologies.

Quiz on Head and Neck Cancer
Head and neck cancers begin in squamous cells that line the moist, mucosal surfaces inside the head and neck. These kinds of cancers related to squamous cells are referred to as squamous cell carcinomas.

Cancers of head and neck are further differentiated by the area of head and neck in which they begin. This form of cancer starts in lip, oral cavity (mouth), nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, pharynx and larynx.

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Cancers in brain, eye, esophagus, thyroid gland, scalp, muscles and bones of head and neck are not categorized under head and neck cancers. In some cases, squamous cells can be found in lymph nodes of upper neck when there is no evidence of cancer in other parts of head and neck. If this happens, cancer is called metastatic squamous neck cancer with unknown (occult) primary.

The new brace is made using 3D-printed materials and inexpensive sensors. This easy-to-wear device is based on the head and neck movements of 10 healthy individuals.

In the new study, the researchers used the prototype brace along with electrical measurements of muscle activity, to compare the neck mobility of five cancer patients before and one month after surgical removal of neck lymph nodes.

They discovered that this device can precisely detect changes in patient neck movements during routine clinical visits. This work will lay the foundation for the appropriate identification of patients for intervention.

They also hope that they will be able to objectively quantify their improvement and develop evidence-based rehabilitative programs using the neck brace.

In the future, the researchers hope to investigate larger groups of patients and use the neck brace to follow patients through physical therapy to develop evidence-based protocols for rehabilitation. They also like to develop similar braces for other surgical sites, such as the forearm, ankle, or knee.

Source-Medindia