Social Support in Older Lung Cancer Patients

年龄是癌症最重要的风险因素，社会支持对癌症患者的健康结果和生存非常重要。社会网络的测量经常用于老年癌症患者的研究。然而，鲜为人知的是，定性方面的支持，如工具或情感类型和指令或非指令的风格，这可能是重要的治疗和康复的老年癌症患者和服从干预。老年癌症患者可能需要比年轻患者更多的支持或不同类型的支持，以实现积极的结果，如改善生活质量（QOL）和减少抑郁情绪。老年人可能因合并症或日常生活活动（ADL）受限而功能受损;身体功能受损与Q 0 L较差和抑郁症相关。本研究旨在描述原发性、不可手术的非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）患者在化疗期间和化疗后接受的支持方面，评估两个年龄组（45-64岁vs. ≥ 65岁）患者在支持、生活质量和抑郁情绪方面的差异，并确定治疗期间和治疗后与Q 0 L和抑郁情绪相关的社会支持方面。样本将包括在圣路易斯Barnes-Jewish医院接受一线化疗的≥ 45岁的原发性、IIIb期或IV期NSCLC患者。临床数据将包括合并症、TNM分期、治疗类型和治疗反应。治疗4-6周和治疗结束后4-6周的访谈将评估支持的定性方面、支持的感知可用性、支持满意度、社交网络、大小、Q 0 L抑郁情绪和ADL。将使用方差分析检验预测变量和结局变量的年龄差异。分层回归将测试每个社会支持变量对治疗期间和随访时的生活质量和抑郁情绪的预测作用，控制重要的协变量。研究结果将增加社会支持与IIIb期或IV期NSCLC老年患者的QOL和抑郁情绪的关系的知识，并可能导致改善其Q 0 L的方法。

Age is the single most important risk factor for cancer, and social support is important for health outcomes and survival among cancer patients. Measures of social network are often used in studies about older cancer patients. However, little is known about qualitative aspects of support, such as Instrumental or Emotional types and Directive or Non-directive styles, which might be important during treatment and recovery of older cancer patients and amenable to intervention. Older cancer patients may require more support or different kinds of support than younger patients to achieve positive outcomes, such as improved quality of life (QOL) and less-depressed mood. Older adults may have impaired functioning due to co-morbidity or limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs); impaired physical functioning is associated with poorer Q0L and depression. This study seeks to describe aspects of support received by patients with primary, inoperable, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) during and after chemotherapy, assess differences in support, quality of life, and depressed mood between patients in two age groups (45-64 vs. greater than or equal to 65 years), and identify aspects of social support associated with Q0L and depressed mood during and after treatment. The sample will include patients greater than or equal to 45 years old with primary, stage IIIb or stage IV NSCLC receiving chemotherapy at first- line treatment at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Clinical data will include co-morbidity, TNM stage, type of treatment, and response to therapy. Interviews at 4-6 weeks into therapy and at 4-6 weeks after treatment ends will assess qualitative aspects of support, perceived availability of support, support satisfaction, social network, size, Q0L depressed mood, and ADLs. Age differences in predictor and outcome variables will be tested using analysis of variance. Hierarchical regression will test the predictive effects of each social support variable on both QOL and depressed mood during therapy and at follow-up, controlling for important covariates. Findings will add to the knowledge of social support's relationship with QOL and depressed mood in older patients with stage IIIb or stage IV NSCLC and may lead to ways to improve their Q0L.