TY - JOUR
T1 - Quality of life versus prolongation of life in patients treated with chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer: A review of randomized controlled clinical trials
AU - de Kort, Susanne Joëlle
AU - Willemse, Pax H. B.
AU - Habraken, Jolanda M.
AU - de Haes, Hanneke C. J. M.
AU - Willems, Dick L.
AU - Richel, Dick J.
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - Oncologists disagree if chemotherapy in advanced cancer can improve quality of life (QoL), to prolong duration of life, or both. The objective of this study was to clarify the main treatment intention of palliative chemotherapy (PCT): the prolongation of life (PoL); or QoL. Randomized controlled clinical trials of PCT in advanced colorectal cancer that included HRQoL assessment were selected from PubMed and reviewed. Authors' conclusions were based on both PoL- and QoL-related outcomes. However, if PoL and QoL outcomes of the experimental arm were opposite, which was the case in 13 out of 28 trials, the authors generally based their conclusion on PoL outcomes. Authors' conclusions focused mainly on PoL-related outcomes, while QoL-related outcomes were of overriding importance in only 1/28 case. QoL can therefore not be considered as the main outcome of PCT. The review shows that in the context of chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer, 'palliative' refers to a life-prolonging intention, whereas within palliative care it refers to an improvement in QoL
AB - Oncologists disagree if chemotherapy in advanced cancer can improve quality of life (QoL), to prolong duration of life, or both. The objective of this study was to clarify the main treatment intention of palliative chemotherapy (PCT): the prolongation of life (PoL); or QoL. Randomized controlled clinical trials of PCT in advanced colorectal cancer that included HRQoL assessment were selected from PubMed and reviewed. Authors' conclusions were based on both PoL- and QoL-related outcomes. However, if PoL and QoL outcomes of the experimental arm were opposite, which was the case in 13 out of 28 trials, the authors generally based their conclusion on PoL outcomes. Authors' conclusions focused mainly on PoL-related outcomes, while QoL-related outcomes were of overriding importance in only 1/28 case. QoL can therefore not be considered as the main outcome of PCT. The review shows that in the context of chemotherapy in advanced colorectal cancer, 'palliative' refers to a life-prolonging intention, whereas within palliative care it refers to an improvement in QoL
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2005.10.026
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2005.10.026
M3 - Review article
C2 - 16481158
SN - 0959-8049
VL - 42
SP - 835
EP - 845
JO - European journal of cancer (Oxford, England
JF - European journal of cancer (Oxford, England
IS - 7
ER -