Psychosocial Distress and Coping among NSCLC Patients
Presented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Psychosocial Oncology
March 2026 | New Orleans, LA
Introduction
Individuals with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are susceptible to distress across multiple life domains. This study aims to describe how individuals living with metastatic or non-metastatic NSCLC characterize cancer-related distress and identify socio-demographic and clinical factors predicting distress.
This study was sponsored by Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Authors
Erica E. Fortune, PhD, Abigail Newell,PhD, Maria Gonzalo, MS, Inderjit K. Dhillon, PhD, Nandita Kachru, PhD, Cosmina Hogea, PhD
- Cancer Support Community, Washington, DC, USA
- www.gilead.com
Methods
We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 adults with NSCLC who received treatment in the past 24 months. We oversampled those with metastatic disease and maximized variation in line of therapy and treatment history to compare patients’ experiences by clinical characteristics. Interviews discussed treatment experiences, psychosocial distress, and unmet needs. Transcripts were analyzed using an iterative deductive-inductive approach based on emergent themes and study goals.
Results
Interview participants had a mean age of 60.4 years; most were women (80%), non-Hispanic White (80%), and had at least a college degree (60%). Most (72%) had metastatic NSCLC and received second line therapy at interview; many (64%) received chemotherapy, radiation (64%), or immunotherapy (60%). Anxiety (84%), gastrointestinal issues (76%), pain (68%), fatigue (60%), and limited mobility (60%) hampered patients’ QoL, especially during first line of therapy. Participants identified lack of social support (96%), education for newly diagnosed patients (84%); and financial support (76%) as their primary unmet needs and fear of recurrence (88%) as their primary source of distress. Most with metastatic NSCLC (83%) coped with anxiety around progression by accepting the risk and reduced QoL as their “new normal.” Those with non-metastatic disease struggled to cope (78%) with this fear because they expected to be “cured,” and return to pre-diagnosis QoL.
Conclusions
Given patients’ intense anxiety, it is essential to increase access to psychosocial support for NSCLC patients, including newly diagnosed and non-metastatic patients, to manage anxiety and symptom burden. Future studies should examine patients’ perceptions of treatment outcomes and coping strategies among representative samples given the limited racial and gender diversity of this sample
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Keywords
Access to Care/Healthcare Utilization Distress Screening/CancerSupportSource Emotional and Mental Health Social Support and Well-Being Symptoms and Side Effects