Decision Regret among Patients with Early-stage Lung Cancer Undergoing Radiation Therapy or Surgical Resection.

AIMS: Clinical equipoise exists regarding early-stage lung cancer treatment among patients as trials comparing stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and surgical resection are unavailable. Given the potential differences in treatment effectiveness and side-effects, we sought to determine the associations between treatment type, decision regret and depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicentre, prospective study of patients with stage IA-IIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with planned treatment with SBRT or surgical resection was conducted. Decision regret and depression were measured using the Decision Regret Scale (DRS) and Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) at 3, 6 and 12 months post-treatment, respectively. Mixed linear regression modelling examined associations between treatment and decision regret adjusting for patient sociodemographics. RESULTS: Among 211 study participants with early-stage lung cancer, 128 (61%) patients received SBRT and 83 (39%) received surgical resection. The mean age was 73 years (standard deviation = 8); 57% were female; 79% were White non-Hispanic. In the entire cohort at 3 months post-treatment, 72 (34%) and 57 (27%) patients had mild and severe decision regret, respectively. Among patients who received SBRT or surgery, 71% and 46% of patients experienced at least mild decision regret at 3 months, respectively. DRS scores increased at 6 months and decreased slightly at 12 months of follow-up in both groups. Higher DRS scores were associated with SBRT treatment (adjusted mean difference = 4.18, 95% confidence interval 0.82 to 7.54) and depression (adjusted mean difference = 3.49, 95% confidence interval 0.52 to 6.47). Neither patient satisfaction with their provider nor decision-making role concordance was associated with DRS scores. CONCLUSIONS: Most early-stage lung cancer patients experienced at least mild decision regret, which was associated with SBRT treatment and depression symptoms. Findings suggest patients with early-stage lung cancer may not be receiving optimal treatment decision-making support. Therefore, opportunities for improved patient-clinician communication probably exist.

Depression symptom trends and health domains among lung cancer patients in the CanCORS study.

OBJECTIVES: Among lung cancer patients depression symptoms are common and impact outcomes. The aims of this study were to determine risk factors that contribute to persistent or new onset depression symptoms during lung cancer treatment, and examine interactions between depression symptoms and health domains that influence mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective observational study in five healthcare systems and 15 Veterans Affairs medical centers. Patients in the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance (CanCORS) Consortium with lung cancer were eligible. The 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale was administered at baseline and follow-up. Scores ≥4 indicated elevated depressive symptoms. Health domains were measured using validated instruments. We applied logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards modeling to explore the association between depression symptoms, health domains, and mortality. RESULTS: Of 1790 participants, 38% had depression symptoms at baseline and among those still alive, 31% at follow-up. Risk factors for depression symptoms at follow-up included younger age (OR=2.81), female sex (OR=1.59), low income (OR=1.45), not being married (OR=1.74) and current smoking status (OR=1.80); high school education was associated with reduced odds of depression symptoms at follow-up, compared with lesser educational attainment (OR=0.74) (all p values <0.05). Patients with depression symptoms had worse health-related quality of life, vitality, cancer-specific symptoms, and social support than patients without depression symptoms (all p<0.001). The association between depression symptoms and increased mortality is greater among patients with more lung cancer symptoms (p=0.008) or less social support (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Patient risk factors for depression symptoms at follow-up were identified and these subgroups should be targeted for enhanced surveillance. Patients with depression symptoms suffer across all health domains; however, only more lung cancer symptoms or less social support are associated with worse mortality among these patients. These potentially modifiable health domains suggest targets for possible intervention in future studies.

Treatment receipt and outcomes among lung cancer patients with depression.

AIMS: Among lung cancer patients, depression has been associated with increased mortality, although the mechanisms are unknown. We evaluated the association of depression with mortality and receipt of cancer therapies among depressed veterans with lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective, cohort study of lung cancer patients in the Veterans Affairs-Northwest Health Network from 1995 to 2010. Depression was defined by ICD-9 coding within 24 months before lung cancer diagnosis. Multivariable Cox proportional analysis and logistic regression were used. RESULTS: In total, 3869 lung cancer patients were evaluated; 14% had a diagnosis of depression. A diagnosis of depression was associated with increased mortality among all stage lung cancer patients (hazard ratio = 1.14, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.27, P = 0.01). Among early-stage (I and II) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, the hazard ratio was 1.37 (95% confidence interval: 1.12-1.68, P = 0.003). There was no association of depression diagnosis with surgery (odds ratio = 0.83, 95% confidence interval: 0.56-1.22, P = 0.34) among early-stage NSCLC patients. A depression diagnosis was not associated with mortality (hazard ratio = 1.02, 95% confidence interval: 0.89-1.16, P = 0.78) or chemotherapy (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% confidence interval: 0.83-1.39, P = 0.59) or radiation (odds ratio = 1.04, 95% confidence interval: 0.81-1.34, P = 0.75) receipt among advanced-stage (III and IV) NSCLC patients. Increased utilisation of health services for depression was associated with increased mortality among depressed patients. CONCLUSIONS: Depression is associated with increased mortality in lung cancer patients and this association is higher among those with increased measures of depression care utilisation. Differences in lung cancer treatment receipt are probably not responsible for the observed mortality differences between depressed and non-depressed patients. Clinicians should recognise the significant effect of depression on lung cancer survival.