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Understanding the needs of lung cancer patients during the pre-diagnosis phase

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Abstract

Patients with lung cancer have numerous and varying needs spanning across the cancer trajectory; however, only limited research has focused specifically on the pre-diagnosis phase. A multicentre cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore the experience of lung cancer patients during the pre-diagnosis phase. High levels of anxiety were reported by many participants (45.6 %). Informational (32.1 %), and emotional (24.1 %) needs were reported as most important; the majority (89.0 %) reported these needs were met. Most participants sought information throughout, with many (38.6 %) rating their oncology health care providers to be the best source of information. The majority (70.0 %) reported that they were not directed to any resources to help address their anxiety. During pre-diagnosis, informational and emotional needs appear most important, and for the majority, these were reportedly met. Although many experienced high levels of anxiety, few were directed to resources to address it.

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Acknowledgement

This research was supported by funding from Cancer Care Ontario. The authors gratefully acknowledge the participation of the patients and the contribution of the oncologists and research staff involved in this study at the Juravinski Cancer Centre, the Thunder Bay Regional Cancer Care and the Princess Margaret Hospital. The opinions, results and conclusions reported in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Cancer Care Ontario.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Knowledge Management and Innovation, Oncology Education and Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Hospital/University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

    David Wiljer

  2. ELLICSR: Health, Wellness and Cancer Survivorship Center, Princess Margaret Hospital/University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

    David Wiljer

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    David Wiljer

  4. Educational Informatics, Oncology Education Program, Princess Margaret Hospital/University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Tara Walton

  5. Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Julie Gilbert

  6. Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Julie Gilbert

  7. Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Julie Gilbert

  8. Clinical Trials, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

    Amy Boucher

  9. Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Juravinski Cancer Centre, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Peter M Ellis

  10. Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Juravinski Cancer Centre, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Peter M Ellis

  11. Supportive Cancer Care Research Unit, Juravinski Cancer Centre, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Susan Schiff

  12. Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

    Scott M Sellick

  13. Surgical Oncology, Juravinski Cancer Center, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Marko Simunovic

  14. Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Marko Simunovic

  15. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Andrea Bezjak

  16. Educational Informatics and ELLICSR: Health, Wellness and Cancer Survivorship Center, Princess Margaret Hospital/University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Sara Urowitz

  17. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Sara Urowitz

  18. ELLICSR—Survivorship Research Centre, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, Clinical Services Building, BCS021, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada

    David Wiljer

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  1. David Wiljer
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  2. Tara Walton
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  3. Julie Gilbert
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  4. Amy Boucher
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  5. Peter M Ellis
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  6. Susan Schiff
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  7. Scott M Sellick
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  8. Marko Simunovic
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  9. Andrea Bezjak
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  10. Sara Urowitz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Wiljer.

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Wiljer, D., Walton, T., Gilbert, J. et al. Understanding the needs of lung cancer patients during the pre-diagnosis phase. J Canc Educ 27, 494–500 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0345-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0345-0

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