Relationships between patient knowledge and the severity of side effects, daily nutrient intake, psychological status, and performance status in lung cancer patients.

ABSTRACT

AIM: We aimed to assess the relationships of patient education with the severity of treatment-induced side effects, daily calorie and protein intake, psychological status, and performance status in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: The study patients were divided into an intervention (n = 62) and a control group (n = 110). The patients in the intervention group were provided with information about treatment, diet, and rehabilitation during chemotherapy. The patients in the control group were not specially provided with that information. RESULTS: We observed significant differences between the intervention and control groups with respect to low daily protein intake (54.84% vs. 70.00%, p = 0.046), prevalence of depression (51.61% vs. 70.91%, p = 0.011), prevalence of severe side effects of treatment (14.52% vs. 37.27%, p = 0.002), and good performance status (75.81% vs. 55.45%, p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that educating patients about cancer treatment and rehabilitation can lead to increased protein intake, a lower prevalence of depression, lesser side effects from cancer treatments, and improved performance status.