Quality-of-Life assessment for routine oncology clinical practice.

Quality of life (QOL) is a concept that appears with ever-increasing frequency in the oncology literature. To date, QOL has largely centered on the research arena. Thus, many clinicians lack familiarity with the clinical utility of QOL measurement in clinical practice. Much work has been done on QOL in clinical trials. QOL data can be a useful predictor of patient response to treatment and survival and can affect decision-making about therapeutic options. Several randomized trials have shown the feasibility and benefits of QOL assessment in the clinical setting. Issues related to QOL data collection exist for those attempting to use QOL instruments within their practice. This review addresses the questions frequently asked by oncology care providers about the value of QOL assessment and issues related to it.