Quality of Life Assessment in the International Breast Cancer Study Group: Past, Present, and Future

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Abstract
The IBCSG is a large multinational, multilingual cooperative group that has been devoted to the study and improvement of adjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients for more than 20 years (International Breast Cancer Study Group 1997). Since 1986, patients, quality of life (QL) has been assessed in all the trials with the aim to establish QL as a complementary outcome in randomized clinical trials. The IBCSG approach to QL assessment in patients receiving adjuvant therapy for breast cancer has recently been reported in detail (Bernhard et al. 1997). Rather than repeat what already has been said in this paper, we will comment on some selected issues from a personal viewpoint.