Background: Of all cancer patients, those with lung cancer are among the highest risk for infection, pneumonia, hospitalization, and early death from COVID-19. As cancer stress is ubiquitous, this exploratory study examines patients’ COVID-19 stress and cancer stress in relation to their depressive and anxiety symptoms. Methods: Newly diagnosed advanced lung cancer patients (N=76) completed measures of cancer stress, COVID-19 illness perceptions and stress, and depressive and anxiety symptoms at a single monthly follow-up early in the pandemic (May 2020–July 2020; Clinicaltrials.gov # NCT03199651 ). Hierarchical linear multiple regression analysis was used to identify the relationship of stressor variables to depressive and anxiety symptoms in this cross-sectional study. Results: Hierarchical linear models revealed cancer stress was a significant predictor of both depressive symptoms (F(14,30)=5.327, p<0.001, R^{2}=0.71, adjusted R^{2}=0.58) and anxiety symptoms (F(14,30)=4.513, p<0.001, R^{2}=0.68, adjusted R^{2}=0.53) for patients at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. By contrast, COVID-19 stress was not a significant predictor of depressive (F(13,31)=1.415 p=.21, R^{2}=.37, adjusted R^{2}=.11) or anxiety symptoms (F(13,31)=1.23, p=.30, R^{2}=.34, adjusted R^{2}=−.07). Conclusions: Advanced lung cancer patients during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic reported cancer stress as more important than COVID-19 stress in relation to their mental health. Empirically supported biobehavioral and cognitive behavioral treatments remain important to reducing psychological symptoms and enhancing patients’ quality of life.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Cancer, lung,