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Measuring quality of life: 1995 update
1Department of Psychology and Social Sciences, Rush-Presbyterian -St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)
|November 1, 1995
Summary
Evaluating cancer treatments requires assessing quality of life alongside survival. This ensures a comprehensive understanding of treatment benefits and drawbacks beyond just extending life.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Clinical Trials
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
Background:
- Cancer treatments are often assessed solely on survival rates, overlooking other crucial patient outcomes.
- Quality of life (QoL) is a vital consideration alongside survival quantity in cancer care.
- Treatment benefits can include symptom palliation (e.g., pain, obstruction) even if survival is not extended.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the importance of evaluating quality of life in cancer treatment research.
- To highlight that the trade-off in cancer treatment is not always toxicity versus survival.
- To present available quality of life measures for cancer patients.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing quality of life (QoL) assessment tools used in oncology.
- Inclusion of a table summarizing various QoL measures.
- Provision of sample QoL scales in an appendix.
Main Results:
- Many quality of life measures are available for cancer patients.
- Proper selection of QoL measures is crucial for successful evaluation.
- Supplementary questions enhance the assessment of QoL.
Conclusions:
- Comprehensive cancer treatment evaluation must include quality of life alongside survival.
- Quality of life assessment provides a more complete picture of treatment impact.
- Utilizing appropriate QoL measures is essential for informed clinical decision-making and research.