Cancer, AIDS, and Quality of Life

This volume contains selected contributions from individuals who attended the Sec­ ond International Conference of the International Council for Global Health Progress (ICGHP) held at UNESCO in Paris, France, on January 15-17, 1996. This conference brought together experts in many disciplines that deal with the devastating diseases of cancer and AIDS with a focus on the concerns for quality of life. The ICGHP fosters mul­ ticultural and, multidisciplinary approaches to global health problems to help influence governments and other international health organizations to emphasize prevention and care of diseases and to understand their scientific, social, and cultural features. The Coun­ cil encourages the interchange of information on health problems and policy and supports educational funding for the public at large. Its objective is to effect diseases-free lives in the world community. Participants of the conference included scientists, sociologists, government leaders, physicians, health care providers, epidemiologists, religious leaders, company officials, ethicists, and philosophers. They examined and discussed the many variables involved in quality of life for people affected with cancer and with AIDS. The volume's text begins with introductory comments by officials attending the JCGHP conference. Subsequently, a chapter is dedicated to one aspect of quality of life, be it definition, scientific research, evolution, cultural changes, ethics, measurements, or other issues dealing with health care and treatment survival. The second part of the volume includes commentaries dealing with fi ve aspects of quality of life which merit consideration.

Inhalt

Introductory Comments. Problems of Defining Quality of Life; A. Feinstein. How Does Asic Research in Cancer and AIDS Approach the Concern for Quality of Life; J.A. Levy. The Evolution of Quality of Life; D. Joyce. Quality of Care for Cancer and AIDS; R.D. George. Changing our Metaphors to Put Quality of Life at the Center of Health Care; G. Annas. Uses of Information about Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with AIDS and Cancer; P.D. Cleary. Improving the Quality of Life of Cancer patients; P. Maguire. How Does the Cost of Care Influence the Effectiveness of Health Care Delivery: J. Rovira. Future Issues in the Use of Health Status Assessment Measures; S. Greenfield. Quality of Life at the End Stages of Life; D. Callahan. Commentaries: Quality of Life, Who Is Responsible? Quality of Life: The Experience of an Oncology Unite Functioning in a Rural Greek Area; V. Georgoulias. Quality of Life, Who Defines It?. Risk as Diagnosis-Implications for the Quality of Life; L. Sachs. Quality of Life at the End Stages of Life. Quality of Life at the End Stages of Life; M. Bedjaoui. Quality of Life: Socio-Economic, Geographic and Cultural Factors. Quality of Life-Pharmaceutical Considerations. Conclusions; H. Feinberg. 16 Additional Articles.