Blooming flower garden symbolizing hope and improved quality of life in cancer treatment.

Beyond Survival: Measuring What Matters Most in Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Theo Raines in Health & Wellness December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Unlocking the Power of Symptom Indexes to Improve Quality of Life"

In the landscape of advanced cancer treatment, extending life is only part of the picture. Increasingly, healthcare professionals recognize the importance of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) as a critical endpoint. This means not just focusing on survival rates, but also understanding and addressing the symptoms that impact a patient's daily life and well-being.

Traditional methods often rely on surrogate endpoints like time to disease progression, which don't always correlate with overall survival or reflect the patient's actual experience. To bridge this gap, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network-Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (NCCN-FACT) has developed advanced cancer symptom indexes. These indexes provide a more direct and meaningful way to measure the impact of treatment by capturing the specific symptoms and concerns most relevant to patients.

This article explores the NCCN-FACT approach, highlighting its development, advantages, and practical applications in palliative medicine, with a special focus on ovarian cancer. We'll delve into how these symptom indexes, particularly the NCCN-FACT-Ovarian Symptom Index-18 (NFOSI-18), are transforming the way clinicians and researchers evaluate treatment outcomes, ensuring that patient-centered care remains at the forefront.

Why Symptom Indexes Matter: A New Approach to HRQOL

Blooming flower garden symbolizing hope and improved quality of life in cancer treatment.

HRQOL has become a key consideration in clinical trials, but concerns about the complexity and interpretability of traditional HRQOL measures have hindered their widespread adoption. In response, the Food and Drug Administration Oncology Drug Advisory Committee emphasized the need for specific symptom assessment as a starting point for improved HRQOL measurement.

The NCCN-FACT indexes address these concerns by:

Focusing on the most important symptoms identified by both oncology clinicians and patients.
Using a rigorous, multi-step methodology that adheres to regulatory guidance for patient-reported outcome measures.
Providing brief, clinically relevant assessments that minimize patient burden and maximize interpretability.

The Future of Patient-Centered Cancer Care

The NCCN-FACT symptom indexes represent a significant step forward in patient-centered cancer care. By prioritizing the symptoms and concerns most important to patients, these indexes provide a more accurate and meaningful assessment of treatment outcomes. This information can then be used to inform clinical decision-making, personalize treatment plans, and ultimately improve the quality of life for individuals with advanced cancer.

While research on the NCCN-FACT symptom indexes is still in its early stages, preliminary findings are promising. As more clinical trial data becomes available, these indexes are poised to play an increasingly important role in palliative research and treatment. In particular, the NCCN-FACT-Ovarian Symptom Index-18 (NFOSI-18) offers a valuable tool for evaluating the effectiveness of chemotherapy and other treatments in advanced ovarian cancer.

Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that cancer treatment focuses not only on extending life, but also on enhancing the well-being and overall quality of life for every patient. The NCCN-FACT symptom indexes are helping to make this vision a reality.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.4172/2165-7386.1000145, Alternate LINK

Title: Use And Interpretation Of The National Comprehensive Cancer Network- Functional Assessment Of Cancer Therapy Symptom Indexes In Palliative Research And Treatment: Special Considerations In Ovarian Cancer

Subject: Psychiatry and Mental health

Journal: Journal of Palliative Care & Medicine

Publisher: OMICS Publishing Group

Authors: Sally E Jensen

Published: 2013-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

Why are NCCN-FACT symptom indexes considered a better way to measure treatment effectiveness compared to traditional methods?

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network-Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (NCCN-FACT) symptom indexes are significant because they directly measure the symptoms and concerns most relevant to patients with advanced cancer, such as those with ovarian cancer. Traditional measures often rely on surrogate endpoints, like time to disease progression, which may not accurately reflect a patient's actual experience or overall survival. The NCCN-FACT approach provides a more patient-centered assessment of treatment outcomes, ensuring that quality of life is prioritized alongside survival.

How do NCCN-FACT indexes overcome the common challenges associated with traditional Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) assessments?

The NCCN-FACT indexes address the complexity and interpretability issues of traditional Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) measures by focusing on the most important symptoms identified by both clinicians and patients. They use a rigorous, multi-step methodology that adheres to regulatory guidance for patient-reported outcome measures. These indexes also provide brief, clinically relevant assessments that minimize patient burden and maximize interpretability, making them more practical for widespread use in clinical trials and routine care.

What is the purpose of the NCCN-FACT-Ovarian Symptom Index-18 (NFOSI-18), and how does it improve care for patients with ovarian cancer?

The NCCN-FACT-Ovarian Symptom Index-18 (NFOSI-18) is specifically designed to evaluate treatment outcomes in ovarian cancer by capturing the unique symptoms and concerns relevant to these patients. Unlike generic HRQOL measures, the NFOSI-18 provides a targeted assessment that is more sensitive to intervention-related changes. This specificity ensures that clinicians and researchers can accurately measure the impact of treatments on the quality of life for individuals with ovarian cancer, facilitating more informed and patient-centered care.

How many different NCCN-FACT symptom indexes exist, and why is it important to have cancer-specific indexes?

Eleven NCCN-FACT advanced cancer-specific symptom indexes have been created, each tailored to measure the most relevant symptoms for different types of advanced cancer. This targeted approach ensures that the indexes are sensitive to intervention-related changes and reflect the unique challenges faced by patients with specific cancers. This contrasts with using a single, generic HRQOL measure across all cancer types, which may miss crucial, cancer-specific symptoms and concerns.

What are the potential benefits of using NCCN-FACT symptom indexes in cancer treatment, and how might they impact patient care?

By prioritizing the symptoms and concerns most important to patients, NCCN-FACT symptom indexes provide a more accurate and meaningful assessment of treatment outcomes. This information can then be used to inform clinical decision-making, personalize treatment plans, and ultimately improve the quality of life for individuals with advanced cancer. Furthermore, it enables healthcare providers to focus on palliative medicine, addressing symptoms, and providing support to enhance patient well-being throughout their cancer journey. Incorporating patient-reported outcomes ensures that treatment strategies are aligned with what matters most to those living with cancer.