The suffering associated with lung cancer.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical, psychological, and interactional aspects of lung cancer associated with suffering. A sample of 30 adults with primary pulmonary malignancies was obtained from an oncology clinic and from the practice of a thoracic surgeon. The subjects had been treated with chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiation. A structured interview was conducted with each subject to determine the incidence of suffering associated with lung cancer. A five-point Likert-type scale was used to quantify the subjects' responses. The highest level on the scale, "Very Much" suffering, was reported to be associated with lung cancer by 50% of the sample. Ten percent of the sample reported no suffering. The following were reported to be the sources of greatest suffering: disability, pain, anxiety, changed daily activities, and weakness/fatigue. There were no statistically significant differences beyond the 0.05 level in reported suffering among groups treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. There was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.028) between groups with known metastatic disease and no known metastatic disease in the amount of suffering associated with the psychological aspects.