OUTLINE: This is a companion study to CALGB C9781, a phase III randomized study. Prior to treatment on CALGB C9781, patients complete forms assessing quality of life, psychological functioning, specific areas of dysfunction, resource use, and time lost from work; subsequent assessments are completed by telephone interview at 1, 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after the initiation of study treatment, regardless of disease status (patients with hearing impairment and those speaking only a translatable foreign language may mail responses). Patients also keep a diary of medical resource utilization at sites other than the treating institution.