Evaluation of Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Supportive Care Alone

Abstract

Among lung cancer patients, receiving supportive care alone is not rare. However, the clinical characteristics of these patients were not thoroughly studied. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics of lung cancer patients treated with supportive care alone. We retrospectively analysed the rate of lung cancer patients receiving supportive care alone in 3 separate hospitals, along with the reasons for this practice. Additionally, we investigated the histological types, palliative treatment forms, hospital consultation outcomes and places of death. A total of 611 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer from April 2016 to March 2022. 80 (13%) were treated with supportive care alone. The primary reason underlying treatment with supportive care alone in almost half of the patients was poor performance. In general, 40% of the patients received supportive care and 17% were admitted to a palliative care unit. 17% of the patients died at home and 42% in the palliative care unit. This study has revealed that 13% of the lung cancer patients with cytologic diagnoses are treated with supportive care alone, due to poor performance. 40% of these patients received supportive care at home, showing that a more accessible home care system is required for the patients and their families.