Measuring quality of life and utilities in esophageal cancer.

For many years indicators such as mortality rates, levels of morbidity and cure measured the success of treatments for esophageal cancer. However, it is now recognised that quality of life (QOL) is an important measure of outcome. This is especially so for esophageal cancer, where the therapeutic options include curative treatments or palliative care. A number of measures have been developed but few QOL studies have been conducted in esophageal cancer. A health economics approach to outcome measurement, that seeks to quantify individual preferences (or utilities), offers a number of advantages. However, it is important to recognize that these methods are still under development. Nevertheless, by seeking to measure the strength of individual preferences, utilities provide additional information for decisions regarding which treatments provide the most optimal outcomes.