Abstract
Purposes
In patients with advanced lung cancer, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) dramatically extended survival. We aimed to investigate the experiences of patients with advanced lung cancer who are receiving ICIs, with a focus on perceptions and sentiments on ICIs, to inform future research and clinical care.
Methods
Patients were recruited from January to July 2022 at Tian** Medical University Hospital Cancer Institute & Hospital. The method of purposive sampling was used. Patients with stage IV lung cancer who were taking ICIs as a single therapy were recruited. Data were gathered using semi-structured and face-to-face interview. An inductive approach to analysis was used.
Results
Of the 42 eligible patients, 27 were invited, 20 agreed to participate, and ultimately 17 patients completed the interview. A total of 5 themes were extracted: suffered from adverse effects but generally tolerable; focus on survival, hope, and expectation; uncertainty about durability of response and the future; poor knowledge and attitude of ICIs; and financial stress and guilt over family.
Conclusion
These findings make an important contribution to healthcare professionals’ understanding of what it is like to be a patient with advanced lung cancer who is receiving ICIs. In general, the experience of immunotherapy is different from that of chemotherapy; financial and family pressures and uncertainty issues are likely to be heavier in this population. Oncology specialist nurses should provide tailored education to improve the patient’s knowledge of immunotherapy, especially to improve risk awareness of immune-related adverse events and objective prognosis expectations.
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Data availability
Due to the potential for breach of confidentiality, the interview transcripts are not available.
Code Availability
Not applicable.
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All authors made substantial contributions to the conception or design. Interviews with participants were completed by Yunxia Hou and Lijuan Yu. **g Li and Yingge Hou did the statistical analysis. Yunxia Hou and Yingge Hou drafted the first manuscript, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
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This study was approved by the institutional review board at the Tian** Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital. This study was performed in line with the Declaration of Helsinki.
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This study was approved by the institutional review board at the Tian** Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital (Approval No. bc2022158), and informed consent was obtained from all participants.
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Hou, Y., Hou, Y., Li, J. et al. A qualitative research exploring the experiences of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors for advanced lung cancer. Support Care Cancer 31, 498 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-023-07965-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-023-07965-3