Patient selection for proton therapy in head and neck cancer
This thesis has thoroughly investigated the criteria used in Europe to select patients for proton therapy. Head and neck cancer was found to be the second most commonly treated tumor type after tumors in the central nervous system, accounting for 15% of all adult patients receiving proton therapy in Europe in 2020. It has shown that model-based selection of head and neck cancer patients for proton therapy is clinically feasible. It describes developed preselection and decision support tools to identify patients who may benefit most from proton therapy. In addition, an extensive systematic review of the models that can be used to estimate the risk of radiation-induced complications after radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients was performed.