Patients with cancer experience multiple symptoms including pain, dyspnea, fatigue, depression, and cognitive impairment. These symptoms impair patients' daily functioning and their quality of life. Symptoms that can be well managed are often undertreated. A major barrier to adequate symptom treatment is poor assessment. The use of simple measurement scales greatly improves the symptom assessment process, helps direct treatment choices, and provides information about the effectiveness of treatment. Recently, better methods for symptom assessment have been developed, including brief self-report tools for the assessment of multiple symptoms and interactive voice response systems for assessing symptoms at home. Symptom assessment can be linked to evidence-based or best practice guidelines to expedite optimal symptom treatment. Because patients with cancer receiving radiotherapy are seen in the clinic frequently, the radiation oncologist can play an integral role in a comprehensive approach that involves both the medical and radiotherapeutic treatment of cancer-related symptoms.
Copyright 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.