Abstract
Background: Lung cancer, as a multistep and multifactorial disease, is among the most fatal cancers worldwide. As new therapies are developed and early screening increases, patients tend to experience progression-free survival (PFS) as a coexistence of living and dying simultaneously.
Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the awareness context experienced by Chinese elderly patients and family members.
Methods: Interviews were conducted with 20 interviewees, including 13 elderly patients with lung cancer and 7 caregivers that were recruited using purposive sampling. Semistructured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted using a qualitative descriptive approach.
Results: Ambiguity was commonly experienced by patients with lung cancer with PFS. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: "ambiguity in cancer diagnosis," "ambiguity in prognostic awareness," and "ambiguity in identity." In this case, ambiguity refers to a situation or context in which patients are uncertain about whether there will be a recurrence of their cancer and when it might occur.
Conclusions: The findings highlighted that patients experienced ambiguity in response to unclear diagnoses, uncertain prognoses, and identity crises during PFS.
Implications for Practice: Healthcare teams should be equipped with psychosocial knowledge and communication skills to manage ambiguity in diagnosis and prognosis for patients with PFS.