Fear of disease progression and psychological factors in postoperative lung cancer patients

BACKGROUND Patients who undergo lung cancer surgery frequently experience a fear of disease progression (FoP), which can negatively affect their quality of life. Understanding the varying degrees of FoP and related psychological distress experienced by such patients is essential to develop effective interventions. Thus, in this study, we hypothesized that certain psychological factors, namely anxiety and depression, would be associated with FoP in postoperative patients with lung cancer. AIM To investigate FoP levels and their association with psychological factors in patients who have undergone lung cancer surgery. METHODS A sample size was determined with reference to prior research findings and considerations regarding statistical power. Subsequently, 368 patients who had undergone lung cancer surgery were recruited from a university hospital in China for this cross-sectional investigation. Data were obtained through general information questionnaires, the fear of progression questionnaire-short form (FoP-Q-SF), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and self-rating depression scale (SDS). A multivariate linear regression analysis was used to examine the influencing factors. RESULTS The total FoP-Q-SF, SAS, and SDS scores were 35.52 ± 6.73, 51.23 ± 6.35, and 54.48 ± 7.15, respectively. Anxiety and depression rates were 62.50% and 59.24%, respectively, among the participants. Marital status, education level, payment method, tumor stage, and SAS and SDS scores independently increased the FoP-Q-SF scores (P < 0.05). The FoP-Q-SF scores were positively correlated with SAS (r = 0.733) and SDS (r = 0.377) scores; physical health factors had stronger associations than social-family factors. Higher anxiety/depression was correlated with higher FoP. The multivariate model, with R 2 = 0.773 and an area under the curve value of 0.895, had better predictive efficacy than the single emotional indicators. CONCLUSION Patients post lung cancer surgery have moderate FoP, which is affected by multiple factors and requires targeted psychological intervention.