Effect of Cancer On Quality of Life

This book provides novel perspectives on topics not usually included in other books on cancer and quality of life, dealing with the special challenges related to the methodology involved in improving control of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and pain.

This book is comprised of extensive reviews and instructional chapters that discuss the quality of life in several aspects of cancer. The first six chapters deal with conceptual issues relating to measuring quality of life in adult and pediatric populations with cancer. The next five chapters provide practical information on how to select quality-of-life measures, the statistical analysis of trials, economic evaluations to be considered, and some possible abuses of quality-of-life measures. Five chapters review the results of studies using selected quality-of-life measures and provide recent information on their performance. These are followed by three chapters dealing with specific issues relating to nausea and vomiting associated with cancer therapy. Three chapters are devoted to the problems of assessing and controlling pain in patients who have cancer. There are also two chapters that deal with the quality of life in palliative care. Effect of Cancer on Quality of Life is intended for all who have an interest in measuring the quality of life in patients with cancer. This includes investigators who are just entering the field and can benefit from instructions on how to conduct quality-of-life research, as well as those who are experienced in conducting this kind of research.