Quality of Life in Cancer Survivorship: 20 Years Later

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2009.11.006Get rights and content

Objectives

To discuss the unique quality-of-life (QOL) issues for cancer survivors and provide guidance for the selection of measures to assess them.

Data Sources

Literature review, PubMed search, electronic data, websites.

Conclusion

QOL is a vital outcome for cancer survivors. QOL measurement of the unique needs of cancer survivors has increased over the past 20 years.

Implications for Nursing Practice

Oncology nurses can move QOL science in cancer survivorship forward by using research findings to implement evidence-based practice.

Section snippets

Cancer Survivorship Research

Changes in public views about cancer survivorship, growth of advocacy organizations, and additional Federal and National initiatives were the vital context for advancing QOL science in cancer survivorship. Thus, in the past 20 years, we have seen cancer survivorship research move from a focus on physical, psychosocial, and economic sequelae during treatment to QOL changes after treatment ends.

Measurement of QOL in Cancer Survivors

The measurement of QOL in cancer has been an area of study for several decades.55, 56 Measures used to examine QOL in cancer survivors most often were either general health or health-related QOL. The general health-related measurements included: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC),57 Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-G),58 Functional Living Index-Cancer (FLIC),59 and the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES).60 However, while these QOL

QOL Assessment and Measurement in Cancer Survivorship Clinics

Cancer survivorship clinics were practically non-existent 20 years ago. Such clinics first started with pediatric cancer survivors and later developed with adult cancer survivors. Advocacy groups such as Lance Armstrong Foundation helped support the development of adult cancer survivorship programs. A key 2006 report from the National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers showed that 29 of the 65 comprehensive cancer centers have active survivorship programs focusing on a combination of

Future Considerations

What are future considerations for QOL measurement and cancer survivorship research? First, QOL measures that capture changes in QOL during post-treatment survivorship is critical. There is great need to descriptively document QOL over time with long-term adult cancer survivors (more than 20 years). Longitudinal descriptive studies may also pave the way for future QOL tool development to assess long-term survivors. Cancer survivorship research continues to evolve, with the refocus of efforts on

Conclusion

Oncology nurses have maintained a leading role in cancer survivorship practice, research, and education, and have taken the lead in early and ongoing documentation of clinical needs facing cancer survivors and their families. Oncology nurses have been the cornerstone in the development and implementation of cancer survivorship clinics and have participated in cancer survivorship advocacy efforts. With a look forward into the next 20 years, oncology nurses can move QOL science in cancer

Karen Meneses, PhD, RN, FAAN: Professor, Associate Dean for Research, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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