Reflections on findings of the Cancer Outcomes Measurement Working Group: moving to the next phase.

The Cancer Outcomes Measurement Working Group (COMWG) was a National Cancer Institute working group of 35 experts convened to examine the state of the science and identify future research priorities for outcomes assessment in cancer. The COMWG focused on three outcomes (health-related quality of life [HRQOL]), patient needs and satisfaction, and economic burden) in four cancers (breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate) across the continuum of care (prevention and screening, treatment, survivorship, and end of life). The majority of the research to date has focused on HRQOL assessment, which has been shown to be feasible in a research context, using questionnaires that meet established criteria for reliability and validity. The quality and quantity of HRQOL research has increased markedly in recent years, and additional methodological developments--particularly the application of item response theory to improve precision, efficiency, and comparability in measurement--hold considerable promise. Research is needed to develop and test predictive models of HRQOL and to establish the added value of including HRQOL assessment in clinical trials.