title: Psychosocial response and symptom burden for male smokers with lung cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cigarette smoking causes many kinds of cancer, and it is more closely related with lung cancer, rather than other cancers. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer and ninety percent of the smokers are male in China, but there is little published data concerning the psychological responses in the male smokers with lung cancer and its influence on the symptom burden. The aim of the study was to verify the hypothesis that male smokers with lung cancer have more positive attitude and less symptom burden, comparing to male non-smokers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 194 men with cancer in West China Hospital, Sichuan, China, were assessed by self-administered questionnaire. Psychological response was measured by the Chinese version of Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer scale (Mini-MAC), and symptom burden was measured by the physical symptom distress scale from the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that smokers with lung cancer got higher scores in positive attitude and a smaller symptom burden than non-smokers. Patients with education lower than high school got higher scores of positive attitude compared to college graduate patients (p=0.038). Smokers with lung cancer who knew the potential carcinogenicity of cigarette showed less negative emotions (p=0.011). The psychological response was not affected by age, clinical stage, cell type, smoking duration and amount.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Male smokers with lung cancer have a more positive attitude and fewer symptoms, comparing to male non-smokers. Appropriate psychological intervention for non-smokers with lung cancer deserves more attention.
authors: Department of Thoracic Oncology, Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China E-mail : niuzm06@126.com.
authors: Zhi-Min
authors: ZM
authors: Niu
authors: Chun-Shui
authors: CS
authors: Liang
authors: Min
authors: M
authors: Yu
authors: Yong-Sheng
authors: YS
authors: Wang
authors: Hai-Xia
authors: HX
authors: Yu
authors: Qiong-Wen
authors: QW
authors: Zhang
authors: Yu-Quan
authors: YQ
authors: Wei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004522:Educational Status; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires