Patients with Brain Cancer: Health Related Quality of Life

The last few decades have seen an increase in the amount of research dedicated to the quality of life (QOL) of cancer survivors, especially for breast and lung cancers. Unfortunately, relatively little attention has been paid to the QOL of neuro-oncology patients. Moreover, reports on the QOL of brain cancer patients are often qualitative and/or converge on a single dimension of well-being. Future QOL studies will have to focus on multiple dimensions of QOL, establishing prospective evaluations of baseline and serial parameters. Research objectives should also include the concomitant exploration of radiological, histopathological, and patient-related factors as potential predictors of QOL. Comprehensive models are particularly useful because they can help account for the reciprocal connections often observed between baseline variables, and because they promise to shed light on some of the contradictory results observed in the field, such as the presumed long-term benefits of resection. Empirical QOL data obtained within a biopsychosocial framework may guide the development of new treatment avenues and may help promote the application of focused, patient-centered support programs.