Cancer research often focuses on treatment options, including safety and efficacy. However, patients care about quality of life as well, and oncologists are beginning to pay attention to quality of life factors. Reuters reported on a study that suggests quality of life issues can influence cancer survival. Based on a study of 239 patients with lung cancer at Fox Chase and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, those who have poor quality of life before lung cancer treatment are more likely to die than patients with a better quality of life. Doctors who are used to looking at tumor size and stage of disease to predict a patient’s survival may consider looking also at the patient’s quality of life as a predictor. Quality of life was observed in this study as “the most significant predictor of overall patient survival.” Source: Reuters.