New insights into the diagnostic workup of oropharyngeal dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients: Integration of fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and patient-reported outcome measures for clinical decision making

This thesis provides new insights into the diagnostic workup of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients by exploring and integrating different dimensions of OD namely patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) on swallowing impairment and on OD-related consequences and clinician-reported outcome measures (CROMs) on swallowing using instrumental imaging techniques. The integration of information on the actual nature and severity of OD and the patient's perspective on swallowing and on OD-related consequences will lead to a more holistic view of the extent and impact of swallowing impairment.