Health-Related QOL Measurements
Prostate cancer is a prevalent malignancy in older men. Treatment of early disease prolongs disease-free life but is associated with considerable long term morbidity. Treatment of advanced disease is typically palliative. Health-related quality-of-life (HR-QOL) tools help to determine the comparative effectiveness of alternative management options for both early and advanced disease. Generic instruments (e.g. Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form, General Health Index and Nottingham Health Profile) have been used to assess the response of prostate cancer to treatment. However, these instruments do not address issues specific to prostate cancer and its treatment. A number of different disease-specific instruments have been developed. These instruments have demonstrated the effects of treatments, especially those for early stage disease, on important QOL measures. However, there needs to be coordination of the available tools so that QOL may be fully assessed for different stage-specific treatments.
Prostate cancer is a prevalent malignancy in older men. Treatment of early disease prolongs disease-free life but is associated with considerable long term morbidity. Treatment of advanced disease is typically palliative. Health-related quality-of-life (HR-QOL) tools help to determine the comparative effectiveness of alternative management options for both early and advanced disease. Generic instruments (e.g. Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form, General Health Index and Nottingham Health Profile) have been used to assess the response of prostate cancer to treatment. However, these instruments do not address issues specific to prostate cancer and its treatment. A number of different disease-specific instruments have been developed. These instruments have demonstrated the effects of treatments, especially those for early stage disease, on important QOL measures. However, there needs to be coordination of the available tools so that QOL may be fully assessed for different stage-specific treatments.
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