Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Jun 26;33(7):631.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-025-09690-5.

The effect of Baduanjin on postoperative activity tolerance, lung function and negative emotions in patients with lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Daixi Wu  1 , Jia Li  1 , Huijing Dong  1 , Yumin Zheng  1 , Huijuan Cui  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The effect of Baduanjin on postoperative activity tolerance, lung function and negative emotions in patients with lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Daixi Wu et al. Support Care Cancer. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to explore the effects and safety of Baduanjin on lung cancer patients post-surgery.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of ten databases for relevant studies up to November 1, 2024. Studies included RCTs where Baduanjin was compared with respiratory training, routine care or no treatment. Statistical analyses and forest plots were generated using Review Manager 5.4.1. Results were expressed as mean difference with 95% confidence interval. The GRADE tool was used to assess the level of evidence for all outcomes.

Results: Nine RCTs involving 795 lung cancer patients who underwent lung resection surgery were included in meta-analysis. Baduanjin showed significant improvements compared to comparison group in 6-min walk distance (MD = 22.93, 95% CI [10.60, 35.26], P = 0.0003), FEV1 (MD = 0.27, 95% CI [0.11, 0.44], P = 0.001), FVC (MD = 0.34, 95% CI [0.14, 0.54], P = 0.0008), and FACT-L (MD = 20.46, 95% CI [9.48, 31.44], P = 0.0003). Additionally, Baduanjin significantly reduced the self-rating anxiety scale (MD = - 6.68, 95% CI [- 10.05, - 3.32], P = 0.0001) and self-rating depression scale scores (MD = - 6.15, 95% CI [- 7.83, - 4.46], P < 0.0001). No adverse events were reported in the included studies.

Conclusion: Baduanjin is a safe and effective home-based feasible rehabilitation measure for enhancing postoperative activity tolerance, lung function, and quality of life while reducing negative emotions in patients after lung cancer surgery. However, due to the limitations, including low-quality evidence, high heterogeneity, and insufficient safety data in this review, the results should be interpreted cautiously. More rigorously designed, high-quality RCTs should be conducted in the future while emphasizing patient compliance and the safety of the interventions.

Keywords: Baduanjin; Lung cancer; Meta-analysis; Postoperative; Systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: Given that this study is based on existing literature and does not involve specific patient identification information, the Ethics Committee of China-Japan Friendship Hospital has waived the requirement for ethical approval. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Bray F, Laversanne M, Sung H et al (2024) Global cancer statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin 74(3):229–263
    1. Howington JA, Blum MG, Chang AC et al (2013) Treatment of stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer: diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest 143(5 Suppl):e278S–e313S
    1. Wildgaard K, Ravn J, Nikolajsen L et al (2011) Consequences of persistent pain after lung cancer surgery: a nationwide questionnaire study. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 55(1):60–68
    1. Hung R, Krebs P, Coups EJ et al (2011) Fatigue and functional impairment in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer survivors. J Pain Symptom Manage 41(2):426–435
    1. Yang P, Cheville AL, Wampfler JA et al (2012) Quality of life and symptom burden among long-term lung cancer survivors. J Thorac Oncol 7(1):64–70

LinkOut - more resources