Exercise is well-known to have postoperative benefits for patients with lung cancer; however, limited evidence exists about the efficacy of home-based, unsupervised exercise after lung cancer surgery.
A new study showed that postoperative home-based exercise did not significantly improve physical function in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but it did improve certain secondary outcomes.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers from Australia and published in JAMA Network Open, sought to evaluate whether a three-month, home-based exercise and self-management program would improve physical function, in addition to quality of life, exercise capacity, and self-efficacy, after lung resection in patients with NSCLC.
The randomized clinical trial was conducted from November 23, 2017, to July 31, 2023, among 116 patients with NSCLC receiving surgery in Australia. The researchers followed up with participants for 12 months post-surgery.
Participants were randomized into two groups. The intervention group underwent a home-based exercise and self-management program for three months after surgery and received weekly phone call consultations from a physiotherapist. The control group received typical postoperative care.
The researchers screened 1,370 patients and found 177 eligible patients, 116 of whom participated in the trial. The primary outcome considered for the study was self-reported physical function, as measured using the 30-item European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire. The secondary outcomes considered for the study were quality of life and patient-reported outcomes.
Fifty-eight patients were placed in the intervention group and 58 patients were placed in the control group. At the timepoints of three, six, and 12 months, 103 patients (88.8%), 95 patients (81.9%), and 95 patients (81.9%) completed assessments, respectively.
The results revealed that “there were no statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups for self-reported physical function” at the primary endpoint of three months.
However, patients in the intervention group showed “significantly greater” results in the secondary outcome categories of exercise capacity, quality of life, and exercise self-efficacy at the primary endpoint of three months. They also demonstrated improved physical function, exercise capacity, and exercise self-efficacy at the follow-up point of six months.
Although the study findings revealed that a postoperative home-based exercise and self-management program did not significantly improve physical function in patients with NSCLC, the investigators highlighted positive outcomes in the secondary outcomes of the trial, including exercise capacity, exercise self-efficacy, and quality of life.
In reflecting on the results, the researchers stated that because the trial improved certain important clinical outcomes, “implementation of this program into lung cancer care should be considered.”
Source: JAMA Network Open
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