title: Quality of life is more than the sum of its parts.
abstract: The mean quality of life (QOL) score has been shown to be an insensitive measure of the effect of a treatment on QOL because of patient adaptation to disability. Stage, primary tumor site, surgical treatment, chemotherapy, and high attrition rates influence QOL assessment and need to be incorporated into QOL analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. cgourin1@jhmi.edu <cgourin1@jhmi.edu>
authors.forename: Christine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Gourin
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires