Quality of life following treatment for B-cell lymphoma

Clinical outcome for B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has been greatly improved through the combination of new treatment options, in particular noncytotoxic drugs that specifically target disease mechanisms. Furthermore, in many cases, lymphoma survivors have to cope with long-term toxicity. Therefore, as with survival and remission length, the assessment of quality of life (QoL) is a major consideration when judging therapeutic benefit in patients. The aim of this article is to discuss the impact of widespread treatments on QoL and the relevance of QoL assessment in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in day-to-day clinical practice. Additional studies of QoL in the general population, the associations between QoL and treatment strategy, QoL and specific situations (i.e., stem-cell transplantation and aging population) are also considered.