Direct Improvement of Quality of Life Using a Tailored Pathway With Quality of Life Diagnosis and Therapy: Randomised Trial in Colorectal Cancer Patients (DIQOL)

There is a growing interest in using quality of life (QoL) data not only as relevant endpoint in clinical trials on cancer patients, but also in routine practice in order to improve patients' health during treatment. The investigators designed, implemented and evaluated an integrated quality of life diagnosis and therapy pathway (QoL pathway) for breast cancer patients (Klinkhammer-Schalke et al, 2008; 2012), guided by the UK Medical Research Council framework for developing and testing complex interventions. It could be demonstrated in a routine setting that breast cancer patients showed a benefit from tailored QoL diagnosis and therapy (Klinkhammer-Schalke et al, 2012).

But there is also requirement for managing QoL deficits of patients with other cancers and to replicate findings of the previous trial. To achieve this aim, the QoL pathway has been modified for colorectal cancer patients. The Tumor Center Regensburg provides the infrastructure of the present project (quality circles, project groups).

This is a two-arm randomised clinical trial with one intervention group and one control group. Patients' QoL is assessed with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CR29 at 0, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after surgery.

In intervention group results of the QoL-measure are transferred to a QoL-profile including 13 dimensions on scales of 0-100 (cutoff for "diseased QoL <50). Three experts with varying professional background use the individual patient's QoL-profile and clinical and sociodemographic information in order to generate a QoL-report including therapy recommendation which is sent to the coordinating practitioner. Specific therapeutic options for the treatment of diseased QoL have been identified: pain therapy, psychotherapy, social support, nutrition counseling, stoma care, physiotherapy, fitness. To provide continuous medical education, quality circles for each therapy option have been founded. Coordinating practitioners receive a list with addresses of all quality circle members.

In control group QoL is also measured but the coordinating practitioner neither receives a QoL-profile nor a QoL-report.

The investigators expect that patients in the intervention group will experience a lower number of QoL-deficits (QoL < 50 points) in the first year after surgery compared with patients in the control group