Measuring quality of life in oncology: is it worthwhile? II. Experiences from the treatment of cancer.

This is the second part of the paper on quality of life in cancer patients which appeared in this journal (Montazeri et al., 1996a). In this part experiences from the treatment of cancer are given and relevant literature is reviewed. Several topics have been covered, including new directions and methods in assessing quality of life. It is argued that in a chronic condition, adding life to years instead of years to life is an important task. Adding years to life may prolong survival, but whether this is to the benefit of patients is debatable. Considering patients' views, their values and preferences may improve the quality of care and at the same time, reduce the psychological distress and physical discomfort in patients with cancer. It is concluded that quality of life measures have considerable potential in this challenging issue.