Psychological Characteristics of Lung Cancer Patients During the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study Based on a Propensity Score-Matched Population

Abstract Objective: This study sought to reveale the psychological characteristics of lung cancer patients at different time points of the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from two different regional medical centers. 128 pairs of lung cancer (LC) patients and non-lung cancer subjects (NLC) were selected through propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. For the longitudinal study, the anxiety and distress state before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were surveyed through a dedicated questionnaire. Results: A total of 135 LC patients and 165 healthy individuals were included in this cross-sectional study. After PSM analysis, 128 pairs of LC patients and NLC were matched and compared in this analysis. During the uptrend period of COVID-19 epidemic, there were significant differences in anxiety between LC patients and NLC (P=0.005). For LC patients, the proportions of severe distress differed significantly between the uptrend and the decline period (22.05% vs 11.90%, P=0.032). In two-way repeated ANOVA analysis, no significant main effect for group or group × condition interaction effect has been founded. The distress of LC patients is mainly manifested as worry. Logistic regression showed that gender (OR=41.48, 95% CI: 9.74-17.97), age (OR=0.20, 95% CI: 0.08-0.50), and education level (OR=4.82, 95% CI: 1.98-11.69) were correlated with “worry” and contributed significantly to the model. Conclusions: This study revealed that lung cancer patients had significant anxiety and distress during the uptrend period of the COVID-19 epidemic. The distress states of LC patients mainly manifested as worry, which was associated with age, gender, and education level.