Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May 25:15:449-460.
doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S396751. eCollection 2023.

Patient Perspectives and Side-Effects Experience on Chemotherapy of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Hafiz Muhammad Zubair  1 , Muhammad Arslan Khan  2 , Faisal Gulzar  1 , Musaed Alkholief  3 , Abdul Malik  3 , Suhail Akhtar  4 , Ali Sharif  5 , Muhammad Furqan Akhtar  6 , Muhammad Abbas  7
Affiliations

Patient Perspectives and Side-Effects Experience on Chemotherapy of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Hafiz Muhammad Zubair et al. Cancer Manag Res. .

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to explore patients' experiences of palliative chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), how patients adapt to their new and challenging life after chemotherapy, their beliefs, and their quality of life.

Patients and methods: The study used an exploratory descriptive qualitative approach that was designed to explore the experiences and side effects of NSCLC patients on chemotherapy in Pakistan. The study was designed to obtain a deeper understanding of 22 NSCLC patients' experiences, using a face-to-face approach and interviews were conducted. Patients who have completed chemotherapy agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews.

Results: The data were arranged into five themes: hospital facilities and environment, patient's beliefs in alternative treatments, presenting a positive/negative face, life is for living, and health insurance coverage. The major complaints related to bad experiences of chemotherapy-induced side effects, but these patients still managed to complete the full course of their respective chemotherapy. Additionally, the current study revealed the real experience of patients with NSCLC which had been less studied. The patient's experience was summarized into four themes and several subthemes.

Conclusion: This study aid healthcare providers when deciding on treatment options that will improve shared decision-making between clinicians and treatment outcomes.

Keywords: NSCLC; chemotherapy; qualitative research; semi-structured interview.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Procedural flowchart of the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, et al. Global cancer statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2021;71(3):209–249. doi:10.3322/caac.21660 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Levitsky A, Pernemalm M, Bernhardson B-M, et al. Early symptoms and sensations as predictors of lung cancer: a machine learning multivariate model. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):16504. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-52915-x - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sheikh HS, Munawar K, Sheikh F, Qamar MF. Lung cancer in Pakistan. J Thor Oncol. 2022;17(5):602–607. doi:10.1016/j.jtho.2022.01.009 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Xu F, Cui W, Liu C, et al. Prognostic biomarkers correlated with immune infiltration in non‐small cell lung cancer. FEBS Open Bio. 2023;13(1):72–88. doi:10.1002/2211-5463.13501 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Provencio M, Calvo V, Romero A, Spicer JD, Cruz-Bermúdez A. Treatment sequencing in resectable lung cancer: the good and the bad of adjuvant versus neoadjuvant therapy. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educl Book. 2022;42:711–728. doi:10.1200/EDBK_358995 - DOI - PubMed