Purpose: Based on 5-year or shorter-term follow-up data in recent randomized trials, adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy is now generally recommended after complete surgical resection for patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We evaluated the results of the International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial study with three additional years of follow-up.Patients and Methods: Patients with completely resected NSCLC were randomly assigned to three or four cycles of cisplatin-based chemotherapy or to observation. Cox models were used to evaluate treatment effect according to follow-up duration.Results: The trial included 1,867 patients with a median follow-up of 7.5 years. Results showed a beneficial effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.91; 95% CI, 0.81 to 1.02; P = .10) and on disease-free survival (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.98; P = .02). However, there was a significant difference between the results of overall survival before and after 5 years of follow-up (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.97; P = .01 v HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.07; P = .04) with P = .006 for interaction. Similar results were observed for disease-free survival. The analysis of non-lung cancer deaths for the whole period showed an HR of 1.34 (95% CI, 0.99 to 1.81; P = .06).Conclusion: These results confirm the significant efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy at 5 years. The difference in results beyond 5 years of follow-up underscores the need for the long-term follow-up of other adjuvant lung cancer trials and for a better identification of patients deriving long-term benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

Lung cancer is the major cause of oncologic-related death worldwide. Due to delayed diagnosis, 5-year survival rate accounts for only 15%. Treatment includes surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiation therapy; however, it is burdened by many side effects. Progress of the disease, severity of its symptoms, and side effects decrease significantly the quality of life (QoL) in those patients. The level of self-assessed QoL helps in predicting survival, which is especially important among patients receiving palliative care. Patients assess their functioning in five dimensions (physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and life roles), severity of symptoms, financial problems, and overall QoL. The QoL in lung cancer patients is lower than in healthy population and patients suffering from other malignancies. It is affected by the severity and the number of symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, dyspnea, cough, pain, and blood in sputum, which are specific for lung tumors. Fatigue and respiratory problems reduce psychological dimension of QoL, while sleep problems reduce cognitive functioning. Physical dimension (related to growing disability) decreases in most of the patients. Also, most of them are unable to play their family and social roles. The disease is a frequent reason of irritation, distress, and depression. Management of the disease symptoms may improve QoL. Controlling the level of fatigue, pulmonary rehabilitation, and social and spiritual support are recommended. Early introduction of tailored palliative treatment is a strategy of choice for improvement of QoL in lung cancer patients.

In 2020, 19.3 million new cancer cases were diagnosed, and almost 10 million deaths from cancer were recorded. Cancer patients may experience fatigue, depression, anxiety, reduced quality of life and sleep problems. Cancer treatments cause numerous side effects and have a negative impact on all body systems. Physical activity is important for cancer patients. The aim of this review is to analyse recent studies on the role of physical activity in cancer patients and emphasize its importance. The review included 36 papers published in English between 2017 and 2021. The findings from these studies show that physical activity decreases the severity of side effects of cancer treatment, reduces fatigue, improves quality of life, has a positive impact on mental health and improves aerobic fitness in cancer patients. Moreover, it reduces the risk of cancer recurrence and death. Physical activity is recommended for patients with any type of cancer and at all stages of treatment. The type of physical activity should depend on the condition of the individual patient. It is extremely difficult to determine what type, intensity and duration of physical activity is likely to have the greatest effect.

Background. Between 34.5% and 69% of the patients with lung cancer are at risk of malnutrition. Quality of life (QoL) and physical status assessment provides valuable prognostic data on lung cancer patients. Malnutrition is a prognostic parameter for clinical outcome. Therefore, the identification of significant factors affecting the clinical outcome and QoL is important. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nutritional status and outcome, i.e., overall survival, time to tumor progression, and QoL, in lung cancer patients. Materials and methods. We performed a systematic search of the Pubmed/MEDLINE databases per the Cochrane guidelines to conduct a meta-analysis consistent with the PRISMA statement, using the following keywords: “lung cancer,” “malnutrition,” “nutrition,” “quality of life,” “well-being,” “health-related quality of life,” and “outcome.” Out of the 96 papers identified, 12 were included in our meta-analysis. Results. Our meta-analysis shows that patients with a good nutritional status have a better QoL than malnourished patients in the following functioning domains: physical (g = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.19 to 1.46, p < 0.001), role (g = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.31 to 1.59, p < 0.001), emotional (g = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.97 to 1.24, p < 0.001), cognitive (g = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.76 to 1.06, p < 0.001), and social (g = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.27 to 1.56, p < 0.001). The risk of death was significantly higher in malnourished than in well-nourished patients (HR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.25 to 1.86, p < 0.001). Nutritional status was significantly associated with survival, indicating that patients with a poorer nutritional status are at more risk of relapse. Conclusions. Nutritional status is a significant clinical and prognostic parameter in the assessment of lung cancer treatment. Malnutrition is associated with poorer outcome in terms of overall survival, time to tumor progression, and QoL in patients treated for lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in the world. According to the World Health Organization, over 2 million new lung cancer cases were reported worldwide in 2018, and there were 1.76 million deaths from the disease. Due to its non-specific symptoms, the disease is usually detected at an advanced stage, which gives few treatment options and a short survival rate after diagnosis. That is why improving QoL in the last months of a patient’s life is enormously important. The purpose of this study was to analyse original papers in order to determine whether an increase in social support is important in improving QoL for lung cancer patients. Both the direct influence of social support on QoL and indirect influences such as stigma or depression, etc. were taken into consideration. We conducted a review of 22 papers published in English in the period 2005– 2020, which were selected using the following keywords: lung cancer, social support, quality of life. Evidence was found for the connections between the improvement of social support and an increase in the QoL of lung cancer patients. It is crucial, and worth whatever effort is required, to increase social support for lung cancer patients, as it is one of the most important factors in improving QoL. According to the studies, a good QoL and minimalised symptoms of the disease are much more important for lung cancer patients than the length of their life.

Introduction: Each year, around 16,500 women in Poland are diagnosed with breast cancer, the second most common cause of death in women. In Poland, nearly 70,000 women live with breast cancer diagnosed within the last 5 years. Quality of life (QoL) research is particularly important in cancer patients, as it provides knowledge on their psychological and physical health, as well as the environment in which the patients function, all of which is essential to implementing multidisciplinary care involving the best use of the appropriate methods. Carrying the burden of cancer is a major challenge for patients. The strategy that patients use to cope with breast cancer significantly affects their quality of life. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of coping strategies on the QoL in breast cancer patients. Material and Methods: The prospective study included a group of 202 women who had undergone surgical treatment for breast cancer at the Lower Silesian Cancer Center and who reported for follow-up appointments at the Oncology Clinic and the Surgical Oncology Clinic. For the study, we used the: EORTC QLQ-C30 cancer questionnaire, EORTC QLQ-BR23 module, Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC) scale, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain intensity, as well as the patients’ medical records, hospital records, and our own survey form. Results: The mean patient age was 53 years. Most patients had been diagnosed with cancer between one and two years before. In the women studied, there was a negative association between QoL and the choice of a destructive strategy for coping with cancer, and a positive one between QoL and a constructive coping strategy. Severe pain caused by the disease and its treatment significantly decreased the patients’ QoL in multiple domains. Conclusions: Patients choosing constructive strategies obtained higher QoL scores, while greater reliance on destructive coping strategies was associated with significantly worse QoL. In all functioning domains, higher levels of pain were associated with poorer QoL and more severe symptoms associated with the disease and its treatment.