Health-related quality-of-life assessment in GI cancer randomized trials: improving the impact on clinical practice

Abstract

Despite increasing interest in assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in randomized trials in gastrointestinal cancer, there remains uncertainty regarding the added value of this data to clinical decision-making. Reasons for this observation may relate to inadequacies in trial design and reporting, and difficulties in understanding and interpreting HRQoL data in a clinical context. It is essential to design trials to capture the relevant changes in HRQoL and for clinicians to be able to understand and communicate the results to patients. Even if HRQoL data are discussed routinely in clinical consultations, there are challenges in facilitating patients’ understanding of such outcomes. A range of methods, including narrative descriptions and graphs, may represent the optimal option to discuss HRQoL data with patients in the context of shared decision-making. This review considers these issues in detail and future areas for applied HRQoL research.

Keywords::

• clinical trial
• communication
• evidence-based medicine
• gastrointestinal cancer
• health-related quality of life

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Angus GK McNair is supported by a Royal College of Surgeons of England research fellowship and the Research Foundation Medical Committee of the Charitable Trusts for the United Bristol Hospitals. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Notes

Adapted from Efficace et al. 2004 [24].