Do newly diagnosed lung cancer patients feel their concerns are being met?

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. It has a poor prognosis and the majority of those affected are elderly. Evidence suggests that providing clear, relevant information and addressing patients’ concerns can make a worthwhile difference to patients. This study aimed to: explore the concerns of lung cancer patients shortly after diagnosis; and enquire whether these concerns had been discussed by their care teams. Eighty patients with a new diagnosis of primary lung cancer were interviewed 14–28 days after the date on which they were told the diagnosis. Interviews were conducted either in the hospital ward, outpatient clinic or at home. Participants were asked to rate 17 specific items of concern from 1 = ‘not a worry’ to 5 = ‘extremely worried’, plus one non-specific item. Patients rated at least two items as worrying them to some degree with a median of nine concerns being reported. Major concerns for patients were the illness itself; the future relating to the illness and concerns about the family. Overall, patients in the study felt that less than half of their concerns (43%) had been discussed by the care team. Although levels of concern about physical symptoms were relatively low, these had been more frequently addressed than the psychosocial issues, which were rated higher by patients. There were some differences in the number of concerns reported between males/females and younger/older age groups, but the pattern of concerns was similar. There were no differences in the level of concerns between treatment groups; the location of the interview nor in the interval between diagnosis and delivery of the checklist. This study supports previous findings that there is a need for health professionals to provide emotional support and respond to the psychosocial needs of patients by eliciting their concerns and attempting to address them in the early stages of the disease process.