Preliminary work from this review suggests that exercise intervention compared with usual care both pre and post-surgery is associated with improved cardiopulmonary exercise capacity , increased muscle strength and reduced fatigue , post-operative complications and hospital length of stay .
BACKGROUND Surgery remains the best curative option for appropriately selected patients with lung cancer .
Evidence suggests that improving cardiovascular fitness and functional capacity can accelerate post-surgery recovery and reduce mortality .
However , the effect of exercise intervention for patients surgically treated for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer [ NCSLC ] has not been fully examined .
PURPOSE This review examines the literature regarding exercise intervention for patients who are surgically treated for NSCLC focussing on three key areas : method ological quality , intervention design ( e.g. duration , frequency , type ) and outcomes measured .
Evaluation of an early exercise intervention after thoracotomy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), effects on quality of life, muscle strength and exercise tolerance: randomised controlled trial.
Deterioration in exercise tolerance and impairment in quality of life ( QoL ) are common consequences of lobectomy . This study evaluates additional exercise and strength training after lung resection on QoL , exercise tolerance and muscle strength .  Fifty-three ( 28 male ) patients attending thoracotomy for lung cancer , mean age , range 64 ( 32 - 82 ) years ; mean pack years ( SD ) 31.9 ( 26.8 ) ; BMI 25.6 ( 4.2 ) ; FEV1 2.0 ( 0.7 ) l were r and omised to control ( usual care ) or intervention ( twice daily training plus usual care ) . After discharge the intervention group received monthly home visits and weekly telephone calls , the control group received monthly telephone calls up to 12 weeks . Assessment pre-operatively , 5 day and 12 weeks post-operatively consisted of quadriceps strength using magnetic stimulation , 6 Minute Walking Distance ( 6MWD ) and QoL-EORTC-QLQ-LC13 . QoL was unchanged over 12 weeks ; 6MWD showed significant deterioration at 5 days post-operatively compared with pre-operatively , mean difference (SD)-131.6 ( 101.8 ) m and -128.0 ( 90.7 ) m in active and control groups respectively ( p=0.89 between groups ) which returned to pre-operative levels by 12 weeks in both groups . Quadriceps strength over the 5 day in-patient period showed a decrease of -8.3 ( 11.3 ) kg in the control group compared to increase of 4.0 ( 21.2 ) kg in the intervention group ( p=0.04 between groups ) . Strength training after thoracotomy successfully prevented the fall in quadriceps strength seen in controls , however , there was no effect on 6MWD or QoL. 6MWD returned to pre-operative levels by 12 weeks regardless of additional support offered
Preliminary work from this review suggests that exercise intervention compared with usual care both pre and post-surgery is associated with improved cardiopulmonary exercise capacity , increased muscle strength and reduced fatigue , post-operative complications and hospital length of stay .
BACKGROUND Surgery remains the best curative option for appropriately selected patients with lung cancer .
Evidence suggests that improving cardiovascular fitness and functional capacity can accelerate post-surgery recovery and reduce mortality .
However , the effect of exercise intervention for patients surgically treated for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer [ NCSLC ] has not been fully examined .
PURPOSE This review examines the literature regarding exercise intervention for patients who are surgically treated for NSCLC focussing on three key areas : method ological quality , intervention design ( e.g. duration , frequency , type ) and outcomes measured .