title: Methodology for scientific evaluation of palliative surgery.
abstract: Measuring the success of surgical palliation is not straightforward.To measure the benefits as well as limitations of surgical palliation,surgeons need outcome assessments other than the existing traditional measures of 30-day surgical morbidity and mortality and 5-year survival. This article delineates a scientific method of evaluating and measuring surgical palliation and shares techniques and pitfalls of assessment gained from prior experience.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Vermont UHC Campus, 1 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT 05495, USA. laurence.mccahill@uvm.edu
authors.forename: Laurence E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: McCahill
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016019:Survival Analysis; D019452:Terminally Ill; D014481:United States