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The MASCC Textbook of Cancer Supportive Care and Survivorship pp 109–125Cite as

Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer

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Abstract

Patient-centred care requires that treatments be evaluated in terms of patient experience, with patient-reported outcomes, including health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Cancer and its treatments can affect HRQOL in many ways, from diagnosis through curative, adjuvant, palliative and end-of-life care. As such, it is important to assess symptoms, side-effects and various aspects of functioning, all of which impact HRQOL, during the acute treatment and survivorship phases to complement survival and treatment toxicity outcomes. HRQOL information can help inform future patients about the impact of treatment, which may assist them to make treatment decisions. In this chapter, we introduce terminology and discuss how cancer and its various treatments affect patients’ HRQOL. Methods for assessing HRQOL and criteria for selecting appropriate methods are discussed. Practical considerations and recommendations for how to incorporate HRQOL in cancer clinical trials are provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Claudia Rutherford, Rebecca Mercieca-Bebber & Madeleine King

  2. Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Rebecca Mercieca-Bebber & Madeleine King

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  1. Claudia Rutherford
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  2. Rebecca Mercieca-Bebber
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  3. Madeleine King
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Correspondence to Claudia Rutherford .

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  1. University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Ian Olver

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Rutherford, C., Mercieca-Bebber, R., King, M. (2018). Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer. In: Olver, I. (eds) The MASCC Textbook of Cancer Supportive Care and Survivorship. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90990-5_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90990-5_8

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