Symptom experience in Korean adults with lung cancer

Abstract

This study aimed to examine how symptoms vary in relation to demographic characteristics (age and sex), stage of disease, histology of lung cancer, and treatment type in Korean adults with lung cancer. Symptoms were measured with the Symptom Distress Scale. A total 106 patients with a mean age of 60.9 (SD = 10.38) years participated. The results indicated that 1) overall symptom distress was more severe (mean 32.74, SD 10.75) compared to the studies reported in Western countries, and 2) among the variables, only the stage of lung cancer showed a significant relationship with total symptom distress (P < 0.05). In analyses of the individual symptoms, bowel-related symptoms showed significant relationships with sex, age, and type of treatment. The results highlight the importance of symptom management as well as the need to tailor clinical interventions according to related factors in order to maximize effective symptom management in Korean patients with lung cancer.