![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Cancer incidence is increasing; one in two people in the UK are expected to develop cancer during their lifetime. However, survival rates of people living with cancer have improved over the last few decades. More than 50% of all UK cancer patients survive for beyond 10 years, this rate has doubled in the last 40 years.
Areas covered: This article provides a scientific review of the use of patient reported outcomes (PROs) to assess the short and longer term impact of cancer and treatment on patient quality of life and symptoms.
Expert commentary: There is increasing recognition that, in addition to survival and other clinical metrics, we need to understand more about the impact that cancer and its treatment has on the everyday lives of people living with and beyond cancer. Patients must have access to information around quality of life and survival with which they can make more informed decisions about their care. We need to understand more about the natural history of recovery and wellbeing and the contributory factors to identify those who are not doing well and to understand how we can support them better, plan appropriate services and support patients in making choices about treatment.
Declaration of interest
D Kyte is a member of the National Cancer Research Institute Psychosocial Oncology and Survivorship CSG subgroup: ‘Understanding and measuring the consequences of cancer and its treatment,’ and is also a member of the ISOQOL Best Practice for PROs in Trials Taskforce. L Calman is a member of the National Cancer Research Institute Psychosocial Oncology and Survivorship CSG subgroup: ‘Understanding and measuring the consequences of cancer and its treatment.’ M Calvert has received personal fees from Astellas Pharma and Ferring and chairs the ISOQOL Best Practice for PROs in Trials Taskforce. A Glaser is in receipt of grants from Candlelighters, National Institute for Health Research, Macmillan Cancer Support, Prostate Cancer UK, Yorkshire Cancer Research. R Stephens is the Consumer Lead of the National Cancer Research Institute. 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. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.