The impact of WeChat app-based education and rehabilitation program on anxiety, depression, quality of life, loss of follow-up and survival in non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent surgical resection

Purpose: We aimed to explore whether WeChat app-based education and rehabilitation program (WERP) affected anxiety, depression, quality of life (QoL), loss of follow-up and survival profiles in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients after undergoing surgical resection.

Methods: 200 NSCLC patients who underwent surgical resection were randomly allocated to WERP group or control group at a 1:1 ratio and underwent a 12-month interventional stage and 48-month non-interventional follow-up stage. Anxiety and depression were evaluated by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and QoL was assessed by European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30). Loss of follow-up and survival data were also evaluated.

Results: After the 12-month intervention (M12), HADS-anxiety score (5.00 ± 2.84 vs. 6.69 ± 4.01) and anxiety rate (19.0% vs. 41.0%) were lower in WERP group compared with control group; meanwhile, HADS-depression score (5.22 ± 2.77 vs. 6.55 ± 3.42) and depression rate (20.0% vs. 36.0%) were decreased in WERP group compared with the control group. Regarding QoL at M12, the QLQ-C30 global health status score (74.44 ± 12.06 vs. 70.26 ± 17.29) and functional score (77.15 ± 15.00 vs. 71.40 ± 17.02) were higher, while QLQ-C30 symptom score was similar (27.29 ± 11.72 vs. 27.86 ± 12.69) in WERP group compared with the control group. Besides, both the 12-month loss to follow-up (3.0% vs 10.0%) and 60-month loss to follow-up (10.0% vs 20.0%) were less in WERP group than the control group. However, limited survival benefit of WERP was observed compared with the control group.

Conclusions: WERP is an effective way to improve well-being and quality of life in NSCLC patients after undergoing surgical resection.