Purpose: To exam how functional status varied according to age, gender, stage, treatment protocols, and pathologic types of cancer in lung cancer patients.
Method: A Cross-sectional and descriptive study was used. Functional status was measured with the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36. A total of 106 lung cancer patients participated. Their mean age was 61 years. Majorities were male, in advanced stages, and receiving chemotherapy.
Result: Functional status of the subjects were relatively low compared to the results of previous studies. Women had more severe functional limitations in Role-Emotion(t=2.17, p＜.05). Generally, older patients(＞ 60 yrs.) had relatively more severe limitations in all subcategories, but the difference was not statistically significant. Subjects in late lung cancer stage(stage III & IV) had more severe functional limitation in all subcategories. But the statistical difference was found only in General Health(t=2.10, p＜.05). In terms of treatment protocol, no-current treatment group had lower General Health than those of the chemotherapy group(F=3.42, p＜.01). There were no statistical differences in functional status among pathological cancer cell types.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that effective management may be achieved when these factors are considered on individual basis in the clinical management of lung cancer patients.
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