Measurement and management of health-related quality of life in lung cancer

The 5-year survival rate for lung cancer has been and remains very low, and patient experience is characterized by a heavy symptom burden leading to poorer health-related quality of life (HRQL). In light of these facts, treatment remains primarily palliative with a focus on improving quality of life, particularly through symptom management. Increasingly, clinical research has evaluated both traditional clinical endpoints as well as quality of life as primary outcome variables. This is due in part to recent data in which patient-reported health data have been found to have prognostic value in lung cancer. This paper reviews the literature to date about lung cancer survivors, HRQL conclusions from recent clinical trials, and several barriers to the incorporation of HRQL information into daily clinical practice. Finally, we describe some recent clinical applications of the integration of HRQL information into routine clinical practice with advanced lung cancer patients.