Health-related quality of life: measurement and clinical application. A workshop report

The process of measuring health-related quality of life (HQL) in oncology is reviewed and the role of these results in clinical practice and clinical trials is discussed. It is determined that comparisons of HQL measurement instruments are needed to clarify which questionnaires are preferable in particular populations or situations. "Calibration" data are also needed, to help explain the meaning of HQL scores and to link them to external reality. In phase III clinical trials, HQL assessment is most important in trials involving disease sites and stages with a poor prognosis and when comparing treatments not expected to affect survival.