Women With Lung Cancer: Quality of Life After Thoracotomy

BACKGROUND: Data about health-related quality of life (QOL) after surgical treatment for lung cancer are limited. Such information can be valuable in developing appropriate nursing interventions for follow-up care for survivors. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to describe physical and emotional QOL of disease-free female non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survivors and to determine characteristics associated with greater risk for disruptions. METHODS: One-hundred-nineteen women surgically treated for NSCLC completed the Short-Form 36 (as a measure of physical and mental QOL) along with health status assessments (including comorbidity, depression, Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, smoking status, and body mass index), dyspnea (Dyspnea Index), meaning of illness, and demographic and clinical information at baseline and 3 and 6 months. RESULTS:…