Abstract for: Dynamics of Health-Related Quality of Life in Cancer Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a medical advancement that incorporates the immune system's capabilities to treat diseases. It is increasingly recognized as one of the fundamental treatment alternatives in cancer management. By understanding immunotherapy patients' HRQoL, clinicians can comprehensively manage the treatment. And simulation modeling can be a valuable tool to understand and interpret complex relationships within quality-of-life dynamics. Therefore, the objective of this article is to develop a quantitative model that represents the complex system surrounding HRQoL of cancer patients receiving immunotherapy. The quantified model will enable a forecast of predicted impacts on HRQoL that are generated by modeled changes representative of potential interventions. By comparing the predicted effects of various interventions and combinations of interventions, the policy analyses will identify leverage points within the system to inform planning in a way that accounts for the system’s complexity and realizes unintended effects of a policy change.