Influencing factors of anxiety and depression in lung cancer patients and analysis in Chinese traditional medicine syndromes

Objective  To explore influencing factors of anxiety and depression in lung cancer patients and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndromes of lung cancer patients with depression.

Methods  Fifty patients with lung cancer in the department of oncology, 50 patients with common chronic diseases in other departments and 50 healthy people were selected as research objects, and were included in lung cancer group, chronic disease group and healthy control group, respectively. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score of subjects in three groups were compared, and influencing factors of anxiety and depression in lung cancer patients were explored, and the TCM syndromes characteristics of lung cancer patients with depression were analyzed.

Results  The scores of HAMA and HAMD in the lung cancer group and the chronic disease group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group, and the above scores in the lung cancer group were higher than those of the chronic disease group(P < 0.05). Among 50 lung cancer patients, 31 had anxiety(anxiety group), 19 had no anxiety (non-anxiety group), 34 were depressed (depression group) and 16 were non-depressed (non-depression group). There were no significant differences in age, sex, education level and disease types between anxiety group and non-anxiety group, between depression group and non-depression group (P>0.05). There were significant differences in distant metastasis, cancer stage, onset time and physical activity state (PS) score between anxiety group and non-anxiety group and between depression group and non-depression group(P < 0.05). Multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that lung cancer stage, disease duration and PS score were independent influencing factors for anxiety and depression(P < 0.05). TCM syndrome analysis showed patients with liver qi stagnation accounted for the most (35.29%), followed by deficiency of heart and spleen (29.41%) and yin deficiency of heart and kidney (23.53%), while the other three TCM syndromes were rarely seen.

Conclusion  Lung cancer patients are generally in a state of anxiety and depression. Among depressed patients, majority of them are liver qi stagnation syndrome and heart and spleen deficiency syndrome. Lung cancer stage, disease duration and PS score are independent influencing factors for depression or anxiety in lung cancer patients.