Abstract: Objective To investigate the status of frailty and management cognition in the elderly patients with lung cancer,so as to provide references for management of frailty in the elderly to the oncology medical staff. Methods A total of 167 elderly patients with lung cancer were surveyed with the general information questionnaire and Groningen Frailty Indicator Scale (GFI), and 8 cases of them were interviewed in a semi-structured way. Results The incidence rate of frailty among 167 elderly patients with lung cancer was 70.1%.The total score of GFI was 4.69±2.51. The education levels, residence, and income were the influencing factors of frailty score (P<0.05). Four themes and eight sub-themes were extracted from the semi-structured interview,including lack of knowledge (incomplete understanding of the concept of frailty in old age, different opinions on the causes of frailty in old age), insufficient self-management (low confidence, loose consciousness), accumulation of negative emotions (inner fear, helpless feeling), insufficient resource protection (time restrictions, longing for support). Conclusions Medical professionals in oncology should pay attention to the frailty screening of elderly lung cancer patients with low income, low education level or living at rural areas, and they also need to strengthen frailty knowledge education, improve self-management capabilities and other ways to solve the problem of frailty management in the elderly.

Key words: lung cancer, aged, frailty, management