Evaluation of Anxiety Status and Reasons for Refusal of Surgical Treatment Among Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

INTRODUCTION[|]In this study, we evaluated reasons for treatment refusal and anxiety levels of patients who were diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in our hospital and were recommended surgery by a multidisciplinary committee but refused surgical treatment.[¤]METHODS[|]In this study, the records of 223 patients whose cases were reviewed by the oncology council of our hospital and were recommended for surgery were reviewed retrospectively. There were patients in Group-A who accepted surgical treatment and Group-B who refused surgical treatment. The anxiety levels of all patients were assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). [¤]RESULTS[|]The anxiety levels of the patients in Group-B were significantly higher than anxiety levels of the patients in Group-A (p<0.001). Twenty-two (68.6%) of the patients in Group-B completely refused surgery, while 10 (31.3%) of the patients preferred to undergo surgery in a different center. As for the patients' reasons for refusing surgical treatment, 20 patients (62.5%) reported high surgical risk, seven (21.9%) of the patients felt they had not been sufficiently informed by their doctor, and five (15.6%) of the patients reported dissatisfaction with the hospital facilities. [¤]DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION[|] In conclusion, our findings suggest that the main reason patients refuse surgical treatment is increased anxiety following diagnosis. We believe that the doctor-patient relationship is the most essential factor in patients' adherence to treatment.[¤]