Exercise training within 12 months of lung surgery for non-small cell lung cancer

What is it about?

An Individual's fitness levels and quality of life decrease after lung surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Since exercise training is known to improve these outcomes in people with chronic lung disease and in certain cancers. We found that exercise training improved fitness levels in people after lung surgery for NSCLC in the 2013 version of this review. However, these findings were unclear due to a limited number of studies. Hence, this study further looked at the effect of exercise training post- lung surgery on fitness level, adverse events, quality of life; the strength of the leg, hand, and breathing muscles, breathlessness, fatigue, feelings of anxiety, and depression, and lung function.

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Why is it important?

Our finding showed that people who exercised after the lung resection surgery for NSCLC had a better fitness level, which was measured using a cycling test and six-minute walk test. We also found that they had better leg muscle strength compared to those who did not exercise. Our results also showed hip fractures to be an adverse effect related to exercise training. That given, there was insufficient evidence on the effect of exercise training on grip strength, fatigue, lung function, and feelings of depression and anxiety was uncertain.