There was no difference between the effect of late- and early-initiated exercise intervention .
Exercise has a small-to-moderate effect at short-term follow-up on exercise capacity and the physical component of health-related quality of life in patients operated for lung cancer .
The long-term effects of exercise capacity are unknown .
Early-initiated exercise programmes ( 2 weeks post-operation ) did not show an effect on exercise capacity .
OBJECTIVE To review the evidence concerning the effects of  postoperative exercise interventions  on exercise capacity and health-related quality of life  following resection for non-small cell lung cancer , and to review whether different initiation times of exercise produce different effects on exercise capacity .
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Postthoracotomy Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Patients with Resectable Lung Cancer
Introduction : Little is known about the effects of rehabilitation for patients with lung cancer after thoracotomy . The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program on quality of life ( QOL ) and secondary objectives were to determine its effects on pain and exercise capacity and the feasibility of combining rehabilitation with adjuvant chemotherapy . Methods : Patients who had undergone a thoracotomy for lung cancer were r and omized between rehabilitation and usual care .  Rehabilitation consisted of twice-weekly training for 12 weeks starting 1 month after hospital discharge , scheduled visits to pain specialists , and medical social work . QOL and pain were measured with vali date d question naires at baseline and after 1 , 3 , 6 , and 12 months . Exercise tolerance was assessed at baseline and after 3 months with a 6-minute walking distance test . Results : The study closed prematurely because of the introduction of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery .  Of 57 r and omized patients , 49 patients ( 23 active and 26 control ) were analyzed .  QOL was not significantly different between groups , although , the active group reported more pain after 3 and 6 months and more limitations because of physical problems after 3 months . In the active group , 6-minute walking distance improved by 35 m from preoperative baseline , as opposed to the control group that showed a decline by 59 m ( p = 0.024 for difference ) . Patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy showed decreased attendance at training sessions . Conclusion : Rehabilitation did not result in a better QOL . Exercise tolerance improved at the cost of more pain and more limitations because of physical problems . We suggest that rehabilitation is better postponed for 3 to 4 months after hospital discharge
There was no difference between the effect of late- and early-initiated exercise intervention .
Exercise has a small-to-moderate effect at short-term follow-up on exercise capacity and the physical component of health-related quality of life in patients operated for lung cancer .
The long-term effects of exercise capacity are unknown .
Early-initiated exercise programmes ( 2 weeks post-operation ) did not show an effect on exercise capacity .
OBJECTIVE To review the evidence concerning the effects of  postoperative exercise interventions  on exercise capacity and health-related quality of life  following resection for non-small cell lung cancer , and to review whether different initiation times of exercise produce different effects on exercise capacity .