EORTC QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) GROUP: 40 YEARS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CANCER PATIENTS
For EORTC, 2022 marks a double anniversary. The first celebrates 60 years of the organisation while the second, commemorates 40 years of incredible achievements of the EORTC Quality of Life Group (QoL).
Placing patients at the centre of clinical research
For the last four decades, the QoL Group has strived to improve the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of cancer patients, through dedicated research and the use of HRQoL measures within cancer clinical trials and clinical practice, including questionnaires and customised item lists. HRQoL constitutes an important aspect of cancer research and care: it gives a voice to patients, putting their experience at the forefront.
The QoL Group comprises a broad range of professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, medical and radiation oncologists, oncologic surgeons, palliative care specialists, social workers and importantly research methodologists. This cultural mix, defined as much in terms of professional background as language and geography, has proven invaluable in shaping the QoL Group’s approach to QoL assessment.
Bringing impact to cancer patients worldwide
Roger Wilson, Chair of the EORTC Patient Panel, emphasises the value of continued research around quality of life, highlighting that: “I believe that research into Quality of Life, in the widest sense, is important for the future of medical research. The only way of measuring patient benefit reliably is by patients doing it themselves.”
Over the past 40 years, the EORTC QoL Group and its tremendous contributions to quality of life clinical research for cancer patients has been recognised around the world with over 75 questionnaires validated, of which some have been translated into over 120 languages.
Find out more about the QoL Group’s Activities
To learn more about our work, check out EORTC’s cancer clinical research. For more information or questions email us at ecrf@eortc.org.
You can also help support EORTC’s game-changing clinical research to unleash scientific breakthrough and transform cancer patients’ lives. Learn how to GET INVOLVED, or Make a Contribution Now.
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