Abstract: |
Metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of death from cancer worldwide. It is a debilitating disease that results in a high symptom burden, leading to patients receiving aggressive care at the end of life. The estimated prognosis is less than 1 year after diagnosis. Studies show that early end-of-life discussions and palliative care can lead to significant improvements in quality of life, mood, and even pulmonary function. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of introducing early palliative care with standard tumor management on patient-reported outcomes and quality of life among patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In patients between the ages of 45 to 70 years old with terminal lung cancer, what is the effect of end-of-life discussions versus no discussions regarding quality of life upon diagnosis? A prospective, quasi-experimental, correlational design to examine the effects of early end-of-life discussions on quality of life in terminal lung cancer patients from a cancer hospital in New York, New York. Fifty metastatic NSCLC patients between ages 45 to 70 will be recruited for this study. Twenty-five of the patients will be assigned to the experimental group and the remaining 25 patients to the control group. Measures: Quality of Life Rating Scales: Measuring the Quality of Life of Seriously Ill Patients: QUAL-E 2005 Questionnaire with 26 questions and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung (FACT-L) Scale Version 4 measuring five different parameters. Depression Rating Scale: Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9). Pulmonary Function Tests: Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) and Functional Residual Capacity (FRC). Descriptive statistics to determine frequency distributions and inferential statistics will be used to test the hypothesis. Our findings can guide practitioners to understand the importance of having early end-of-life discussions and palliative care interventions to better care for these patients and improve their quality of life at the end of life. |