[Quality of life in cancer patients]

Quality of life has a broad meaning. It should be measured based on subjective comfort and discomfort of the patient in terms of physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being. Care for physical and psychological problems from which cancer patients are suffering has been surprisingly inappropriate, and the quality of life issue has been almost always neglected in cancer treatment and care. However, in recent years, clear practical guidelines on cancer care were proposed, which can be used through the existing health care system and, when put into practice, will help cancer patients in the far-advanced stages spend the final days of their lives with comfort. To assess the quality of life, several effective instruments have been developed by outstanding experts for easy, repeated patient self administration, and usually involve a 20-50 item questionnaire that has been validated on cancer patients. Further discussion on quality of life of cancer patients in this country should include 'informed consent', 'truth-telling', and rearrangement/provision of hospital facilities to meet the needs of dying patients.