Preliminary experience with quality of life evaluation in patients with lung cancer

Evaluating quality of life in patients receiving treatment for cancer has been an increasing concern, particularly when a cure may not be possible. Such measurements inform clinicians and investigators of the relative costs and benefits of palliative treatments, and are potentially important when there is little or no difference between drug regimens in terms of tumor response or survival. Where it is felt intuitively by oncologists that a particular mode or frequency of therapy may be superior to existing regimens, quality of life data may inform us differently, and there is a case to be made for incorporating such evaluations in clinical trials. In parallel to the experience of other groups, we have developed experience with certain scales, focusing on evaluations of lung cancer patients. This process enabled us to prospectively include and implement quality of life studies into our clinical trials.