Multidimensional Analysis and Future Perspectives of Surrogate Decision-making for Lung Cancer Patients

Lung cancer, being common and highly mortal, requires attention to its associated cognitive issues during diagnosis and treatment. Many patients have executive dysfunction that exacerbates with disease progression, and numerous advanced-stage patients struggle to clarify end-of-life treatment preferences due to multiple factors. Surrogate decision-making mechanisms can relieve related stress and conflicts, yet research in the lung cancer field is insufficient. This paper systematically integrates research on surrogate decision-making for lung cancer patients, analyzes the decision-making system, compares different paradigms, describes the development of support systems, and anticipates the future from aspects like dynamic decision ecosystems, technology — enabled care, ethical safeguards, and proxy care, providing theoretical guidance for clinical practice.