Measuring quality of life in rectal cancer patients

Quality of life assessment in rectal cancer patients is necessary to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the outcome of surgery and other forms of treatment. Quality of life aspects must be placed in broader concept and should provide complementary information to healthcare professionals, together with classical outcomes, such as mortality, morbidity and long-term survival. There is a general lack of well-designed quality of life trials in rectal cancer patients. Ideally, individual patients could benefit from the data analysis, insofar as deficits should be disclosed and appropriately addressed. Finally, quality of life studies may also be used to monitor and evaluate the quality of care which patient receive, potentially leading to improved management.