Symptom distress, psychosocial variables, and survival from lung cancer

Fifty-three patients with inoperable lung cancer were interviewed one and two months after their diagnosis to obtain data on their level of symptom distress, as well as on selected psychosocial and demographic variables. These patients were then followed for about four years, at which time 45 had died of lung cancer, 2 had died of other causes, 4 remained alive, and 2 were lost to follow-up. The patients’ postdiagnosis symptom distress score was found to be the most important predictor of survival (from among the variables considered) after adjusting for age, functional status, and personality traits. Thus, the magnitude of symptoms that patients report soon after diagnosis may influence how long they live.