The generalists' perception of quality of life in XXXX .

@entity1 @entity135 @entity5 @entity158
OBJECTIVE: @entity1 with @entity135 are willing to undergo aggressive treatments and accept alterations in quality of life to attain recovery or to prolong their life. It is unclear how physicians perceive alterations in quality of life. This study examined whether physicians considered changes in quality of life when selecting a treatment for @entity135 . METHODOLOGY: A large, Belgian, general practitioner population received a questionnaire in the mail requesting their opinions on quality of life for @entity1 with @entity5 . They assessed the impacts of symptoms, treatments, and side effects. RESULTS: 506 responses were received and evaluated. A majority of physicians (85.7%) thought that quality of life must be considered when selecting a treatment, even when it represented lower chance of survival. Moreover, 82.4% felt that proposing no treatment was justified when treatment caused impaired quality of life. Most physicians thought that the quality of life was worse for @entity1 with @entity5 in the head and neck than for @entity1 with @entity5 in any other location. Moreover, most physicians thought that the @entity1 (98.2%) and the family doctor (89%) should participate in selecting the treatment. The symptoms that ranked highest for impacting quality of life were @entity158 and breathing quality, followed by feeding requirements, voice quality, and physical appearance. Radiotherapy was thought to offer the best quality of life. CONCLUSION: Physicians considered quality of life a very important factor in treating @entity1 with @entity135 . This medical perception strongly influences the choice of treatment.
