Quality of life research in oncology. Past achievements and future priorities

Aaronson, Neil K.; Meyerowitz, Beth E.; Bard, Morton; Bloom, Joan R.; Fawzy, Fawzy I.; Feldstein, Michael; Fink, Diane J.; Holland, Jimmie C.; Johnson, Jean E.; Lowman, James T.; Patterson, W. Bradford; Ware, John E.

doi:10.1002/1097-0142(19910201)67:3+<839::aid-cncr2820671415>3.0.co;2-0

Cited by 176 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…1,5,6 The need for a standardized quality of life assessment tool is necessary in order to compare results between different institutions and studies. 7,8 Because multidimensionality and OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery Volume 129 Number 1 FERRER et al 95 subjectivity are the 2 main characteristics of quality of life, measurement tools should cover a broad range of content, including physical, emotional, and social well-being. In our study, a permanent stoma and loss of speech are not the critical factors that determine patients' quality of life after surgery for laryngeal cancer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial adjustment in patients surgically treated for laryngeal cancer

Ramı́rez

Ferriol

Doménech

et al. 2003

Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

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OBJECTIVE:To assess the psychosocial adjustment in 62 patients surgically treated for cancer of the head and neck. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Forty-one patients were grouped as having had radical surgery (total laryngectomy) and 21 as having had functional surgery (horizontal supraglottic laryngectomy or partial vertical surgery). The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale-Self Report (PAIS-SR) was used for the evaluation. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between groups when global adjustment or domain adjustment was compared. Patients did not consider the permanent stoma and voice loss to be the most important determinant of quality of life. Work and family relationship were the domains with poorest adjustment. CONCLUSION: Social and medical support are important factors in improving patients' self-confidence and satisfaction, playing an important role in recovering useful phonation, psychological adjustment, and global quality of life. SIGNIFICANCE: Information collected in this way may facilitate improved rehabilitation and thus better quality of life. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;129:92-7.) Little is known about the adaptation of patients after treatment and how the presence of sequelae impacts the different aspects of a patient's personal and family life. Although the concept of quality of life is easily understood, its definition and evaluation tools are not familiar outside the behavioral science area. Most studies consider survival and disease control as the end points of their clinical trials, without analyzing the patient's opinion regarding morbidity and whether posttreatment expectations were achieved.Evaluation of quality of life in cancer of the head and neck is especially important because the treatment sequelae impact directly on basic daily functions like breathing, swallowing, speaking, and even on external appearance. Quality of life studies can give us a better idea and understanding of what patients consider to be their problems and priorities after treatment.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of surgical sequelae treatment of cancer of the larynx on the psychosocial adjustment of patients and identify those factors the patients consider most important in the adjustment process. PATIENTS AND METHODSPatients were treated for laryngeal cancer at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the Dr Peset University Hospital, Valencia, Spain. Data were collected through mail questionnaires answered by 62 patients who had undergone surgery for laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer All patients were followed for more than 36 months. Appropriate consent was obtained from patients who were informed of the aim of the study and assured of the confidentiality of data and voluntary character of the study. Instructions were given to answer questions with reference to the 4 weeks before completion of the questionnaire.The mean age was 63.8 years (range, 41 to 85); 99% (61/62) were male; 87% were married, 2% were divorced, 5% were single, and 6% were widowed. Seventy-one pe...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial adjustment in patients surgically treated for laryngeal cancer

Ramı́rez

Ferriol

Doménech

et al. 2003

Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

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“…Researchers have long debated appropriate definitions and conceptual models of the ambiguous construct of quality of life (2)(3)(4). Operational definitions of quality of life likewise vary widely.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliability and Validity of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Palliative Care (FACIT-Pal) Scale

Lyons

Bakitas

Hegel

et al. 2009

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

160

131

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The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) system provides a general, multidimensional measure of health-related quality of life (FACT-G) that can be augmented with disease or symptom-specific subscales. The 19-item palliative care subscale of the FACIT system has undergone little psychometric evaluation to date. The aim of this paper is to report the internal consistency, factor structure, and construct validity of the instrument using the palliative care subscale (FACIT-Pal). Two hundred fifty-six persons with advanced cancer in a randomized trial testing a palliative care psychoeducational intervention completed the 46-item FACIT-Pal at baseline. Internal consistency was greater than 0.74 for all subscales and the total score. Seventeen of the 19 palliative care subscale items loaded onto the four factor solution of the established core measure (FACT-G). As hypothesized, total scores were correlated with measures of symptom intensity (r = −0.73, P < 0.001) and depression (r = −0.75, P < 0.001). The FACIT-Pal was able to discriminate between participants who died within three months of completing the baseline and participants who lived for at least one year after completing the baseline assessment (t = −4.05, P <0.001). The functional well-being subscale discriminated between participants who had a Karnofsky performance score (KPS) of 70 and below and participants with a KPS score of 80 and above (t = 3.40, P <0.001). The findings support the internal consistency reliability and validity of the FACITPal as a measure of health-related quality of life for persons with advanced cancer.

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“…Опросник EORTC QLQ C-30 [5][6][7], дополненный модулем QLQ PRT-23, в будущем позволит врачам-клиницистам более точно дифференцировать и конт-ролировать побочные эффекты, оценивать хронические лучевые проктиты, связанные с проведением ЛТ на органы малого таза на этапе противоопухолевого лечения [8,9]. …”

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