Living with Social Anguish: Shame and Guilt in Lung Cancer Patients

Lung cancer is a disease with many biomedical and psychological symptoms. Being diagnosed with an inoperable lung cancer gives few possibilities of being cured. Prognosis remains poor even though treatment has been improved. When cure is not attainable the aim will be on palliative treatment; relieving symptoms and supplying good quality care. The different caring activities are to be evaluated in terms of the patients’ own experiences and estimation of his/her quality of life. Twenty-three Swedish patients diagnosed with an inoperable lung cancer were interviewed and their live experiences were articulated. Data were interpreted through interpretive phenomenology. In this original work, six themes were identified. The present study further delves into one of these themes, namely, shame and guilt. The purpose of this study is by a secondary analysis in focus to describe and illuminate how the lung cancer diagnosis and its treatment affect the patients’ quality of life. The patients try to live as usual but with social anguish. Lung cancer is strongly associated with smoking and feeling of guilt and shame are connected to this diagnosis. There is stigma due to their diagnosis. The health care system and society seem to send signals about that lung cancer is a self-induced cancer. Patients with lung cancer expressed stigmatisation with important consequences for their quality of life. Clinical and educational interventions are needed regarding how to proper approach and care for and about these patients without adding the stigma experienced by the patients.