Jump to full article: UniSci, 2002-06-28
Intro: New research at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center provides the first comprehensive examination of quality-of-life issues faced by long-term lung cancer survivors.
The findings, published in the July 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, could help healthcare providers develop more effective rehabilitation programs for long-term lung cancer survivors. The findings also will better prepare patients and their families to cope with the non-medical challenges of daily life.
Rehabilitation for lung cancer patients traditionally has focused on remedying or managing physical problems. But the UCLA study strongly suggests that emotional quality of life factors also must be addressed.
Lead author Linda Sarna, a nurse-researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and a professor at the UCLA School of Nursing, said two findings surprised the research team: More than 50 percent of long-term lung cancer survivors -- patients in remission for five or more years -- said they have good quality of life despite decreased lung function caused by lung cancer surgery and a history of smoking. And in survivors who reported relatively poor quality of life, depression affected the quality of their lives more significantly than any physical challenges.
"We expected that the lung cancer survivors' emotional quality of life would be lower than long-term survivors of other cancers because they often face more life-long physical challenges, including significant breathing difficulties when they've had all or part of a lung removed. They also face problems due to many years of smoking, so we thought the physical challenges would very negatively affect their moods and sense of optimism," Sarna said.
"Survivors also deal with a variety of medical conditions aside from the cancer. Some of these conditions most likely are due to a history of tobacco use, and some are merely part of the aging process," she added.
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