Purpose
Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death globally, and understanding symptom clusters (SCs) among LC patients could improve symptom management. This scoping review provides a comprehensive summary of the most common SCs and their compositions identified in studies specifically investigating SCs of LC patients.
Methods
A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. The study included LC patients as participants, SCs as the concept, and studies with distinct aim to investigate LC SCs as the context. We searched studies from inception to September 2022 in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library databases using the terms: "lung cancer," "cancer survivors, " and "symptom cluster." Results: Of 41 reviewed reports, 188 SCs were identified. Both a priori and de novo method were used to identify LC SCs, with exploratory factor analysis being the most commonly used statistical method in the de novo approach. The three most frequent SCs were respiratory, gastrointestinal (GI), and psychological SCs. The most common respiratory SC included cough + dyspnea. Nausea + vomiting was the most prevalent cluster membership among GI SCs. Sad + feeling irritable + feeling nervous + worrying was the most common cluster membership among psychological SCs.
Conclusion
Respiratory, GI, and psychological SCs were common among LC patients, and addressing these clusters could improve symptom management strategies. Further research on SCs across the lung cancer trajectory is essential to enhance our understanding about SCs and facilitate effective symptom management throughout the disease course.

Purpose
To investigate the relationship between stigma, adjustment, and quality of life of middle-aged male patients with lung cancer and the influences of those factors on the patients’ quality of life.
Methods
A descriptive survey design was used. A total of 120 male patients between 45 to 64 years participated in the study. They answered a self-reported survey composed of Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale, Korean Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale, and The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale-General Version 4. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficients, stepwise multiple regression by the SPSS 25 version.
Results
The stigma showed a positive correlation with “helplessness-hopelessness” and “anxious preoccupation” (r=.30, p=.001; r=.41, p<.001, respectively), and a negative correlation with emotional well-being (r=-.24, p=.008). “Helplessness-hopelessness” and “anxious preoccupation” were negatively correlated with quality of life (r=-.61, p<.001; r=-.46, p<.001, respectively). “Fatalism”, “fighting spirit”, and “cognitive avoidance” showed positive correlations with quality of life (r=.37, p<.001; r=.42, p<.001; r=.19, p=.035, respectively). Factors influencing quality of life by multiple regression were identified as helpless-hopelessness, fatalism, performance status, and anxious preoccupation (F=35.76, p<.001, Adjusted R² =54%).
Conclusion
Maximizing positive adjustment response and improving performance status were effective in improving quality of life of middle-aged male patients with lung cancer. The development of nursing interventions focusing on psychological adjustment and physical activity should be warranted for the given patient population.

Citations

• Factors Affecting Quality of Life Among Patients with Primary Lung Cancer
  Mideum Kang, Myung Sun Hyun, Sun Hyoung Bae, Sunjoo Boo
  Asian Oncology Nursing.2024; 24(3): 144.     CrossRef