Nursing Care Plan for Lung Cancer
Also searched as: bronchogenic carcinoma, NSCLC, SCLC
🎓 Educational example. Adapt to your patient and have your instructor review it. Not medical advice.
Malignancy of the lung or airways that impairs gas exchange through tumor growth, airway narrowing or pleural effusion, and brings the systemic weight of cancer treatment. This plan is written generically for lung cancer rather than one histologic type: nursing care supports breathing, nutrition and energy through treatment, and watches for the complications of both disease and therapy.
Build your own Lung Cancer care plan in minutes → the free Care Plan Builder walks you from assessment to evaluation and exports a clean PDF.
Assessment
- Subjective: patient reports shortness of breath on exertion, persistent cough, chest discomfort, fatigue, poor appetite or unintended weight loss; may voice fear about diagnosis and treatment
- Objective: diminished or absent breath sounds over affected areas, SpO2 at rest and with activity, respiratory rate and work of breathing, hemoptysis if present, weight trend, treatment schedule and recent blood counts
Nursing diagnoses
As evidenced by: exertional dyspnea, SpO2 below baseline, diminished breath sounds on the affected side, abnormal imaging
As evidenced by: unintended weight loss, early satiety, taste changes and nausea during treatment cycles, low albumin
Goals / expected outcomes
- The patient will maintain SpO2 within their target range and report dyspnea manageable at rest through each shift.
- The patient will maintain weight within an agreed range, or slow the rate of loss, over the course of treatment.
Nursing interventions & rationale
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Position for easiest breathing (high Fowler or leaning forward on a table), give oxygen as ordered, and pace all activity with rest between tasks. | Positioning and pacing lower the work of breathing that a compromised lung can no longer absorb. |
| Teach energy conservation and schedule demanding activities for the patient's best time of day. | Cancer fatigue does not respond to willpower; planned energy spending preserves the activities that matter most to the patient. |
| Offer small, frequent, calorie-dense meals and manage nausea proactively around treatment as prescribed. | Weight and muscle loss worsen treatment tolerance and outcomes, and appetite rarely returns by waiting. |
| Monitor for treatment complications: fever during chemotherapy cycles, new or worsening dyspnea, and hemoptysis, and report them promptly. | Fever in a patient with treatment-lowered white counts and sudden respiratory change are both time-critical, not routine, findings. |
Evaluation
- SpO2 and breathing effort stay at or better than baseline for the stage of illness
- Weight stabilizes or the loss curve flattens
- Patient uses pacing and positioning strategies and knows which symptoms need a same-day call
Sources & further reading
Stop rewriting care plans by hand
CarePlanKit builds a complete, formatted care plan for any condition (assessment, diagnosis, SMART goals, interventions with rationale) and exports to PDF or Word in your school's format. Free to start.
Build a care plan free Preview Pro (coming soon)Lung Cancer care plan: FAQ
What is the nursing diagnosis for Lung Cancer?
Common nursing diagnoses include: Impaired gas exchange related to tumor involvement of lung tissue and airway or pleural space; Imbalanced nutrition, less than body needs, related to cancer cachexia and treatment side effects. Choose the one your patient's assessment data supports.
What are nursing interventions for Lung Cancer?
Key interventions: Position for easiest breathing (high Fowler or leaning forward on a table), give oxygen as ordered, and pace all activity with rest between tasks.; Teach energy conservation and schedule demanding activities for the patient's best time of day.; Offer small, frequent, calorie-dense meals and manage nausea proactively around treatment as prescribed., each paired with a rationale.
Can I use this care plan for my assignment?
Use it as a study example and starting draft. Always adapt it to your specific patient and have it reviewed by your instructor. This is an educational tool, not medical advice.
For nursing education only, NOT medical advice and not a clinical decision-making tool. Nothing here should be used to assess, diagnose, or treat any real patient. Care plans and answers are unverified study drafts to review with your instructor or a licensed clinician and adapt to the individual patient and your institution’s protocols before any use.
Last reviewed 2026-07. Educational content based on standard nursing practice; not medical advice and not affiliated with NANDA-I/NIC/NOC. Always follow your institution's protocols and your instructor's guidance.