EORTC Quality of Life

Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are transforming the treatment paradigm of patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma. With the improved possibility to achieve long-term survival for this group of patients, analyzing how their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is during and after these therapies can help uncover the quality of their extended survival in detail. However, a major challenge for measuring HRQoL in this group of patients is that no validated questionnaire currently exists. By bringing together the input of healthcare professionals and the patients themselves, my research predominately focuses on developing and refining an instrument that optimally measures HRQoL in patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma. The project is a broad, multidisciplinary effort in order to advance the state of knowledge about the HRQoL in this patient group, and enhance healthcare professionals’ ability to identify and manage the HRQoL needs these patients may experience during and after treatment.