title: Relevance of quality of life assessment to the evaluation of combined-modality therapy.
abstract: Quality of life (QOL) assessment is a research tool which is incorporated into clinical trials to provide information about the ways in which the treatment affects the individuals sense of well-being and his physical, psychologic, and social functions. In the appropriate setting QOL assessment offers additional endpoints, beyond the traditional response rates and survival durations, to evaluate cancer treatments in ways which can be particularly meaningful to patients. Selected aspects of QOL methodology and the application of QOL assessment to the evaluation of combined-modality therapies for gastrointestinal cancers are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Shapiro
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000523:psychology; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life