Quality-of-Life and Psychosocial Oncology Research in Europe

Abstract

During the fall of 1988, the authors conducted a survey of British and European investigators to review the current state of research on quality of life and psychosocial oncology. Active areas of research on quality of life (validation studies, instrument comparison and translations, new scales, cross-cultural comparisons), (2) integration of quality-of-life measures into clinical trials, (3) the coping process, and (4) rehabilitation and supportive care. In contrast, researchers in the United States have focused on the more pragmatic aspects of psychosocial oncology, especially the psychosocial sequelae of a cancer diagnosis. This divergence in approach most likely relates to cultural characteristics as well as differences in the research funding process. Most of the survey respondents were enthusiastic about pursuing cooperative research with North American investigators, and our review identified many areas for potential collaboration. The authors hope that this review will be a first step in promoting international collaboration among researchers in psychosocial oncology.