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. 2021 Apr 26;33(4):412-418.
doi: 10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_273_20. eCollection 2021 Oct-Dec.

Perioperative exercise intervention in patients with lung cancer: A systematic literature review of randomized controlled trials

Chun-Hou Huang  1 , Tai-Chu Peng  1 , Yi-Tso Cheng  2   3 , Yen-Ta Huang  4 , Bee-Song Chang  3   5
Affiliations

Perioperative exercise intervention in patients with lung cancer: A systematic literature review of randomized controlled trials

Chun-Hou Huang et al. Tzu Chi Med J. .

Abstract

Objectives: During perioperative, lung cancer (LC) patients are often left to experience debilitating disease-related symptoms, impaired physical activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and social difficulties, despite the progress achieved in terms of treatment efficacy. Nonpharmacological intervention, such as exercise, has been identified as an effective strategy in LC patients before and after lung resection. Therefore, we aimed to assess evidence of the effect of perioperative exercise among patients with LC.

Materials and methods: Seven databases were searched from January 1998 to September 2020. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effect of exercise on the physical and psychological status of patients with LC during the perioperative period were reviewed. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of all studies included here using the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool for RCTs.

Results: Seventeen RCTs (1199 participants) published between 2011 and 2019 met for this literature review. The outcome measures that emerged from these studies included subjective outcomes, such as HRQoL, pain score, fatigue, and objective effects, such as cardiorespiratory fitness, pulmonary function, physical activity, and biological markers. Overall, these studies suggest that exercise should be an optimal option for LC; however, its efficacy and effectiveness regarding HRQoL should be investigated further.

Conclusion: Perioperative exercise could be included in the rehabilitation program of patients with LC. More extensive, high-quality RCTs evidence is needed on the ideal exercise type, duration, intensity, and timing across the LC perioperative care.

Keywords: Cardiorespiratory fitness; Exercise training; Health-related quality of life; Lung cancer; Perioperative.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram showing the number of studies identified and selected for inclusion in the literature review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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