Physical activity and lung cancer survivorship

Abstract

A lung cancer diagnosis and associated therapeutic management is associated with unique and varying degrees of adverse physical/functional impairments that dramatically reduce a patient's ability to tolerate exercise. Poor exercise tolerance predisposes to increased susceptibility to other common age-related diseases, poor quality of life (QOL), and likely premature death. Here we review the putative literature investigating the role of exercise as an adjunct therapy across the lung cancer continuum (i.e., diagnosis to palliation). The current evidence suggests that exercise training is a safe and feasible adjunct therapy for operable lung cancer patients both before and after pulmonary resection. Among patients with inoperable disease, feasibility and safety studies of carefully prescribed exercise training are warranted. Preliminary evidence in this area supports that exercise therapy may be an important consideration in multidisciplinary management of patients diagnosed with lung cancer.