Quality of Life

• Published an update to our Module Development Guidelines, which have served as a vital reference tool since their first publication in 1993. The updated guidelines include: (i) alternative methods of identifying relevant quality of life issues, (ii) links to the newly developed EORTC QLG Item Library (iii) translation of modules, and (iv) changes to the methods used to develop validated modules.
• Developed an EORTC questionnaire to assess sexual health in cancer patients, an important but often neglected aspect of quality of life.
• Championed early career investigators to engage in quality of life research. In addition to offering two fellowships annually and awarding six visiting fellowships to other institutions in our Group network, we also provided grants to researchers to attend meetings. Several of our senior members mentor promising young researchers as well.
• Agreed during a strategy meeting to engage an expert to enhance Group communication internally and externally, ensuring our messages are clearly expressed in plain language for our diverse members.
• Led 2 trials in 2021, (EORTC-1617; EORTC-1514)

EORTC research in Quality of Life has led to the creation of the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire, which has become one of the standard tools to measure quality of life in cancer clinical trials. The core questionnaire, currently available in over 100 languages, is accompanied by more than 20 fully-validated modules, addressing disease or population-specific concerns.