[Level of anxiety in patients with lung cancer]

In 62 patients (54 men and 8 women) with lung cancer the anxiety state was assessed with State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory. The group of 23 patients underwent surgical resection and in 39 chemotherapy was given. The anxiety state is significantly higher in patients treated with cytotoxic drugs than in operated and increased during the time of treatment. In patients treated with cytotoxic drugs, anxiety as a feature, increased in the course of treatment, and in patients treated surgically it remained stable. Because of small number of examined patients, the results should be interpreted cautiously.