OBJECTIVE: To describe and relate the findings and objective clinical assessment of swallowing by reporting a case of oropharyngeal dysphagia due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (DPOC) and pulmonary emphysema (EP) associated with cancer of the vestibular fold. CASE REPORT: A male patient, 71 years old with prior history of smoking and alcoholism, with physician-diagnosed DPOC and PE, and neoplasia in the left vestibular fold, without surgical indication. The same was referred by a pulmonologist at the service of speech therapy at a university hospital for evaluation of swallowing due to chronic cough. In clinical assessment of swallowing, the patient had no clinical signs of laryngeal penetration or tracheal aspiration, showing normal swallowing (O'NEILL et al, 1999). In the objective evaluation of the dynamics of swallowing the patient received a diagnosis of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia Moderate (O'NEILL et al, 1999), laryngeal penetration and tracheal aspiration silent, and made referrals to speech therapy. CONCLUSION: The patient had normal swallowing evaluation after the clinical and physical examination; there was moderate dysphagia and tracheal aspiration silent. It is noteworthy that clinical evaluation is considered sovereign in relation to the objective assessment; however, there are cases, such as DPOC, in which the correlation of these is essential for a proper diagnosis, primarily by reducing the sensitivity of the airways that can lead to lower in silent aspiration.