Het traject van een patiënt met een hoofd- en halsmaligniteit in België

Abstract

The pathway of a patient with a head and neck malignancy in Belgium This article describes the pathway of a patient with a head and neck malignancy from diagnosis to treatment. As this is the sixth most frequent malignancy, every physician has patient contacts in this population. Consecutively, the history taking, clinical examination and red flags are described, as well as the treatment which may consist of surgery, radiotherapy or systemic therapy or a combination of these. The indications, goal and complications of each of these therapies are discussed. The side effects and contra indications are highlighted. The innovative treatment and the recent addition of immunotherapy for head and neck tumors are discussed. Finally, the importance of support by a nurse specialized in oncological care is emphasized and the quality criteria implemented by the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE) are described.