How Patients with Metastatic & Non-Metastatic Cancer Perceive Quality of Life
Presented at the North America Conference on Lung Cancer (NACLC)
December 5–7, 2025 | Chicago, IL
Introduction
People with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often experience significant symptom burden, poor quality of life (QoL), and psychosocial distress.
This study assessed the nature and extent of symptom burden among patients with metastatic and non-metastatic NSCLC and the factors associated with poor QoL to identify unmet needs and inform psychosocial interventions
Authors
Erica E. Fortune, PhD1, Abigail Newell,PhD1, Maria Gonzalo, MS1, Inderjit K. Dhillon, PhD2, Nandita Kachru, PhD2, Cosmina Hogea, PhD2
- Cancer Support Community, Washington, DC, USA
- Gilead Sciences, Foster City, CA
Methods
We conducted a mixed-methods study involving retrospective quantitative analysis of 279 patients’ survey responses in the Cancer Experience Registry® (CER) and qualitative analysis of 25 in-depth interviews with patients with NSCLC.
Results
Patients with non-metastatic disease expected to regain their pre-diagnosis QoL – or “get back to life” – after treatment. When symptom burden persisted after treatment, patients rated their QoL as more limited compared to those with metastatic disease. Those with metastatic disease perceived their diagnosis as life-changing and reduced QoL as their “new normal,” rating their symptom burden as less prohibitive.
Conclusions
Although intense fatigue and anxiety were common among patients and negatively impacted their QoL, most patients with non-metastatic NSCLC rated their QoL as worse than patients with metastatic NSCLC.
Patients’ perceptions of and experiences with NSCLC seem to impact their evaluations of QoL.
Given patients’ intense symptom burden and anxiety about reduced QoL, it is essential to increase access to tailored evidence-based interventions, such as acceptance and commitment therapy to manage expectations about symptom burden for patients with non-metastatic NSCLC, and social support for patients with metastatic NSCLC.
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Keywords
Cancer Experience Registry cancer patients Emotional and mental health Non-small cell lung cancer Quality of life