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
. 2025 Nov 24.
doi: 10.1097/HCR.0000000000000988. Online ahead of print.

Comparison of Postoperative Telerehabilitation and Unsupervised Home-Based Training in Older Adults With Lung Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Yong Beom Shin  1 , Sungchul Huh  2 , Jeong Su Cho  3 , Cho Hui Hong  4 , Yuna Kim  1 , Myung-Jun Shin  1   2   5   3   4   6   7 , Ra Yu Yun  5 , Jonggeun Lee  3 , Bong Soo Son  7 , Sang Hun Kim  6
Affiliations

Comparison of Postoperative Telerehabilitation and Unsupervised Home-Based Training in Older Adults With Lung Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Yong Beom Shin et al. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. .

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the effects of postoperative pulmonary telerehabilitation (PTR) in older adults with lung cancer using a popular mobile instant messenger.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in ambulatory patients (n = 64; aged ≥ 65 years) with lung cancer scheduled for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention (IG) or control (CG) groups. Four weeks after surgery, both groups received a one-time education session on standard home-based pulmonary rehabilitation at the rehabilitation center. The IG underwent a PTR program thrice weekly for 4 weeks using a mobile instant messenger or telephone. Both groups were instructed to maintain their exercise routine (at least 3 times a week) during the 4-week follow-up.

Results: Compared with the CG, the IG showed significant improvements in peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and percent predicted VO2peak of 3.3 mL/kg/min (95% CI, 1.9-4.8; P < .001) and 14% (95% CI, 7-21; P < .001), respectively, after PTR. These improvements persisted at the 4-week follow-up (VO2peak = 3.8 mL/kg/min: 95% CI, 2.1-5.5; P < .001 and percent predicted VO2peak = 13%: 95% CI, 6-20; P < .001). Compared with preoperative values, postoperative VO2peak and percent predicted VO2peak decreased significantly by 3.5 mL/kg/min (95% CI, 2.6-4.3; P < .001) and 15% (95% CI, 11-19; P < .001), respectively.

Conclusions: A 4-week postoperative PTR program improved VO2peak in older adults with lung cancer. Our findings suggest that PTR may be a feasible therapeutic strategy for lung cancer, even in older adults.

Keywords: lung cancer; pulmonary telerehabilitation; randomized controlled trial; video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Bade BC, Thomas DD, Scott JB, Silvestri GA. Increasing physical activity and exercise in lung cancer: reviewing safety, benefits, and application. J Thorac Oncol. 2015;10(6):861-871.
    1. Schulte T, Schniewind B, Dohrmann P, Küchler T, Kurdow R. The extent of lung parenchyma resection significantly impacts long-term quality of life in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Chest. 2009;135(2):322-329.
    1. Curigliano G, Mayer EL, Burstein HJ, Winer EP, Goldhirsch A. Cardiac toxicity from systemic cancer therapy: a comprehensive review. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2010;53(2):94-104.
    1. Jones LW, Watson D, Herndon JE, et al. Peak oxygen consumption and long-term all-cause mortality in non-small cell lung cancer. Cancer. 2010;116(20):4825-4832.
    1. Rosero ID, Ramírez-Vélez R, Lucia A, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on preoperative physical exercise interventions in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2019;11(7):944.

LinkOut - more resources