Background/Objectives:Advanced lung cancer is a highly distressing disease that negatively impacts older adults. Supportive care interventions designed for this population are scarce and often inaccessible due to competing demands and transportation access. We adapted and refined an evidence-based treatment, Self-System Therapy (SST), to address the unmet needs of older adults with advanced cancer.Methods:Guided by principles of implementation science, we conducted patient interviews, focus groups, and user testing to refine our new SST for the lung cancer (SST-LC) protocol. We then conducted a single-arm pilot trial (clinicaltrials.gov NCT04057196) for patients aged 65+ and above with Stage III or IV lung cancer (N = 30). Benchmarks for acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary changes in outcome measures were assessed.Results:Our study met the desired recruitment goals and demonstrated high treatment adherence rates (89%) and satisfaction rates (85%), indicating that SST-LC was feasible and well-received. Participants also showed reductions in distress and depression, and improvements in emotional and functional well-being from baseline to post-intervention, with effects mostly maintained at follow-up. Physical well-being, social well-being, and quality of life showed smaller, non-significant changes. Feedback from participants also suggested that SST enhanced their resilience and ability to cope with cancer-related challenges, but also indicated a preference for fewer sessions.Conclusions:SST for older adults living with advanced lung cancer is feasible and acceptable. Moreover, this supportive care intervention shows promise in addressing psychological distress, emotional well-being, and functional well-being in older adults. Future research will include testing the efficacy of SST in a larger randomized controlled trial.
背景/目的：晚期肺癌是一种严重影响老年患者生活质量的疾病。针对该人群设计的支持性照护干预措施稀缺，且常因时间冲突和交通不便而难以获取。本研究对循证治疗方法——自我系统疗法进行改良优化，旨在满足老年晚期癌症患者未被满足的需求。 方法：在实施科学原则指导下，我们通过患者访谈、焦点小组和用户测试完善了针对肺癌的自我系统疗法方案。随后对65岁及以上III/IV期肺癌患者开展单臂预试验，评估方案的可接受性、可行性及结局指标的初步变化。 结果：研究达到预期招募目标，治疗依从率与满意度分别达89%和85%，表明该方案可行且受患者认可。干预后患者痛苦抑郁程度显著降低，情绪与功能健康状况明显改善，且效果在随访期基本保持稳定。身体健康、社会健康及生活质量指标变化较小且未达显著水平。患者反馈显示该疗法增强了应对癌症挑战的心理韧性与适应能力，但建议适当减少治疗次数。 结论：针对老年晚期肺癌患者的自我系统疗法具有可行性与可接受性。该支持性干预措施在缓解心理痛苦、改善情绪与功能健康方面展现出良好前景。未来研究将通过更大规模的随机对照试验验证其疗效。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家