Chen MJ, Lei W, Zhou J, Chen LX, Hui T, Lu X. Fear of disease progression and psychological factors in postoperative lung cancer patients. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(3): 114588 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114588]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xi Lu, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Zhangjiagang Hospital of Soochow University, No. 68 Jiyang West Road, Suzhou 215600, Jiangsu Province, China. 18018158668@163.com
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Psychiatry
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Observational Study
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Mar 19, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 27, 2026
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World Journal of Psychiatry
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2220-3206
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Chen MJ, Lei W, Zhou J, Chen LX, Hui T, Lu X. Fear of disease progression and psychological factors in postoperative lung cancer patients. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(3): 114588 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114588]
World J Psychiatry. Mar 19, 2026; 16(3): 114588 Published online Mar 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114588
Fear of disease progression and psychological factors in postoperative lung cancer patients
Min-Jie Chen, Wei Lei, Jun Zhou, Li-Xiu Chen, Tao Hui, Xi Lu
Min-Jie Chen, Li-Xiu Chen, Xi Lu, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Zhangjiagang Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215600, Jiangsu Province, China
Wei Lei, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu Province, China
Jun Zhou, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Tao Hui, Department of Psychiatry, The Fourth People’s Hospital of Zhangjiagang, Suzhou 215600, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Chen MJ conceptualized the study, conducted the investigation, data curation, formal analysis, and wrote the original draft; Lei W contributed in the methodology and validation; Zhou J contributed to the resources and investigation; Chen LX contributed to the investigation and data curation; Hui T contributed to the psychological assessment and formal analysis; Lu X contributed to the supervision and project administration; and all authors reviewed and edited the draft.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Zhangjiagang Hospital of Soochow University (Approval No. ZJGYYLL-2023-05-LW002).
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardians provided written informed consent before study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Corresponding author: Xi Lu, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Zhangjiagang Hospital of Soochow University, No. 68 Jiyang West Road, Suzhou 215600, Jiangsu Province, China. 18018158668@163.com
Received: October 14, 2025 Revised: November 16, 2025 Accepted: December 15, 2025 Published online: March 19, 2026 Processing time: 135 Days and 23.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Patients who undergo lung cancer surgery frequently experience a fear of disease progression (FoP), which can negatively affect their quality of life. Understanding the varying degrees of FoP and related psychological distress experienced by such patients is essential to develop effective interventions. Thus, in this study, we hypothesized that certain psychological factors, namely anxiety and depression, would be associated with FoP in postoperative patients with lung cancer.
AIM
To investigate FoP levels and their association with psychological factors in patients who have undergone lung cancer surgery.
METHODS
A sample size was determined with reference to prior research findings and considerations regarding statistical power. Subsequently, 368 patients who had undergone lung cancer surgery were recruited from a university hospital in China for this cross-sectional investigation. Data were obtained through general information questionnaires, the fear of progression questionnaire-short form (FoP-Q-SF), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and self-rating depression scale (SDS). A multivariate linear regression analysis was used to examine the influencing factors.
RESULTS
The total FoP-Q-SF, SAS, and SDS scores were 35.52 ± 6.73, 51.23 ± 6.35, and 54.48 ± 7.15, respectively. Anxiety and depression rates were 62.50% and 59.24%, respectively, among the participants. Marital status, education level, payment method, tumor stage, and SAS and SDS scores independently increased the FoP-Q-SF scores (P < 0.05). The FoP-Q-SF scores were positively correlated with SAS (r = 0.733) and SDS (r = 0.377) scores; physical health factors had stronger associations than social-family factors. Higher anxiety/depression was correlated with higher FoP. The multivariate model, with R2 = 0.773 and an area under the curve value of 0.895, had better predictive efficacy than the single emotional indicators.
CONCLUSION
Patients post lung cancer surgery have moderate FoP, which is affected by multiple factors and requires targeted psychological intervention.
Core Tip: This study identified levels of fear of disease progression and associated psychological factors in individuals who have undergone lung cancer surgery. Its findings provide a foundation for personalized psychological support to enhance the quality of life of such patients. Furthermore, to our knowledge, it is the first study to comprehensively analyze the multidimensional psychological indicators associated with fear of disease progression in this cohort.
