Predictive Factors for Psychological Distress in Patients with Lung Cancer Who Underwent Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery Lobectomy

Purpose: This study sought to identify potential predictors of psychological distress among patients with lung cancer who under-went video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy. Methods: Seventy patients with lung cancer were recruited. Patients' data were collected between February and November 2021 using Distress Thermometer (DT) scale and problem lists. Patients were cate-gorized into mild (DT score < 4 points) and moderate/severe (DT score) groups at six months postoperatively. Data analysis was performed with descriptive statistics, chi 2-test, independent t-test, and logistic regression. Results: Of the 70 participants, 40 (57.1%) displayed elevated distress, as indicated by DT score of >= 4, six months after VATS lobectomy. Depression (p=.008), nervousness (p=.002), sadness (p=.035), getting around (p=.016), and sexual problems (p=.019) were more frequent in the moderate/severe group. However, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age < 65 years (odds ratio (OR)=4.41) and nervousness (OR=5.52) were predictive factors for high postoperative psychological distress. Conclusion: More than half of patients with lung cancer had moderate/severe distress at six months after VATS lobectomy. Further research is needed to reduce symptoms or mani-festations of distress such as nervousness in patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer, especially among patients who are under 65 years of age.