Psychological Distress Prior to Surgery Is Related to Symptom Burden and Health Status in Lung Cancer Survivors.

Abstract

Purpose Patients with lung cancer experience a variety of distressing symptoms which could adversely quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine whether psychological distress prior to surgery is associated with health status and symptom burden in lung cancer survivors. Methods A longitudinal observational study with one-year follow‐up was carried out. Health status was measured by the WHO Disability Assessment Scale (WHO-DAS 2.0), the Euroqol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Symptoms severity included dyspnoea (Multidimensional Profile of Dyspnoea); pain (Brief Pain Inventory); fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale) and cough (Leicester Cough Questionnaire). Results 174 lung cancer patients were included. Patients in the group with psychological distress presented a worse self-perceived health status, functionality and sleep quality. The group with psychological distress also presented higher dyspnea, fatigue and pain. Conclusion Patients with psychological distress prior surgery present a greater symptom burden and a poorer self-perceived health status, lower functionality and sleep quality, than patients without distress one year after the lung resection.