Living with Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is currently the leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada. The recent development of immunotherapy and targeted therapy drugs offer a new hope for prolonging survival and improving quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer. However, patients’ response to treatment is variable, with extended life ranging from months to multiple years. Thus, patients are “living in limbo”, oscillating between periods of hopeful engagement in valued life activities, and periods of uncertainty about treatment and anxiety about the future and end-of-life. Given how new these treatments are, current theories of Fear of Cancer Progression (FOP; i.e., worry or fear related to cancer progressing) have not been investigated in this population.

Dr. Sophie Lebel and Alanna Chu are conducting this research with an aim to update an existing model of FOP in patients with advanced lung cancer receiving an immunotherapy or targeted therapy, through a mixed-methods study consisting of a survey and an optional interview. Surveys will include measures of demographic information, death anxiety, fear of progression, and illness uncertainty. Interviews will be conducted in a subset of the participates, to obtain an in-depth understanding of the survey responses. The results will help to inform future resources and programs for these individuals.