An Update on the Quality of Life Measurements in Lung Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Radiotherapy: A Literature Review

To conduct a systematic review on validated instruments used to assess quality of life (QOL) in patients with either primary or metastatic lung neoplasms. A literature search was conducted through the Embase (1950 - 2012 week 30) and Medline (1946 - 2012 week 3 July) databases. All compiled studies utilized QOL or symptom palliation as a primary or secondary outcome for patients with advanced lung cancer. A total of 17 studies met our criteria. Four questionnaires were most commonly used: the EORTC QLQ-C-30, the EORTC QLQ-LC-13, the Rotterdam Symptom Check-list (RSCL), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The limited number of studies assessing QOL in patients with advanced lung cancer suggests that QOL is still an uncommon endpoint for this patient population. Nine of seventeen (53%) studies evaluated QOL in their cohorts and out of those nine, seven (77%) included the use of a lung-specific tool. In total there were eleven of seventeen (65%) studies that evaluated symptom palliation, indicating the relevance of symptom palliation as an endpoint in this population. It is encouraged that lung specific QOL questionnaires, such as the FACT-L and the EORTC QLQ LC-13, be used in tandem with general questionnaires, such as the FACT-G and the EORTC QLQ C-30, in advanced lung cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Clinicians should also be advised to focus more on QOL assessment.