Patient Report on the Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Living With Lung Cancer

Introduction: Several studies have highlighted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related disruptions in treatment and care in people living with lung cancer. However, few studies have assessed patient-reported perspectives on treatment disruption. This study aims to report the patient perspectives on the impact of COVID-19, vaccination access, and coverage on people living with lung cancer.

Methods: Data are from a larger online longitudinal study being run by a lung cancer nonprofit organization, LUNGevity Foundation. The survey is open to all patients living with lung cancer and their caregivers. These analyses focus on data captured in the COVID-19 module and the vaccine questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were computed for categorical and ordinal variables.

Results: Overall, 164 people living with lung cancer completed the COVID-19 module. Of these, 54% reported disruption in access to treatment, appointments, participating in research and clinical trials. Participants living with stage IV disease were likely to be more concerned about COVID-19 (35%) compared with those with stage I, II, and III. More than half (66%) had tested for COVID-19 of this group 88% tested negative. There was a correlation among participants testing positive for COVID-19 and the number of household members who also tested positive for COVID-19. In the sample who completed the vaccine survey, almost all (98%) were vaccinated against COVID-19. When a recommendation came from a health care professional, an oncologist was the most likely referral source (33%).

Conclusions: An integrative patient-reported view on the impact of COVID-19 is important for adequate preparation to ensure undisrupted treatment and allocation of resources.