Pulmonary Rehabılıtatıon Wıth Non-Small Lung Cancer

Patients with lung cancer often have concomitant lung and heart comorbidities that limit their cancer treatment options. For example, in the last prevalence study that included patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer, 73% of whom were men and 53% were women, there was clinically significant COPD. This patient population has shortness of breath, decreased physical capacity, low muscle condiction, and poor exercise tolerance.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is an intervention that has a scientific basis and is used systematically, aiming to optimize individual daily functions and health-related quality of life in patients with morbidity due to chronic diseases measured by clinical or physiological methods.

The effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation is well known in the treatment of patients with COPD and in the perioperative lung transplant preparation period. Studies lead to a significant increase in preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation exercise capacity, dyspnea and health-related quality of life.

The aim of our study is to investigate the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on respiratory tests and quality of life in patients with early and locally advanced NSCLC who received chemotherapy regardless of whether the investigators had undergone surgical treatment.

This study was conducted with outpatients who were diagnosed with small cell lung cancer between 2021-2022, who were approved by the oncologist and physical therapist to participate in a physiotherapy and rehabilitation program. Permission for the study was obtained from the Non-Interventional Local Ethics Committee (decision dated 20.11.2018 and numbered 2018/34). The study was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of Patient Rights. Individuals were informed about the study and a written informed consent form was signed by the individuals who volunteered to participate.

Participants Thirty patients aged 18-65 years in remission were included in the study. Surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy processes of all patients included in the study were completed. Patients with suspected pregnancy, diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, patients in metastatic period, and patients with acute/chronic infection were excluded from the study.

Evaluation The patients' age, gender, height and body weight, medical history and family history information, education status, income level, smoking (pack/year), place of residence, admission to the emergency department in the last year, number of hospital admissions and hospitalizations, and medication used The information was recorded from the patients and their files. Participation of individuals in regular physical activity was questioned. In addition, pre- and post-treatment pain was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS).

The evaluations applied to the patients in our study;

1. Posture Analysis
2. Normal Joint Movement and Evaluation of Muscle Shortness
3. Muscle Test
4. Six Minute Walking Test
5. Physical Activity Level
6. Dyspnea Severity
7. Quality of Life
8. Fatigue Evaluation

Applied Treatments;

1. Respiratory Exercises
2. Walking Training
3. Aerobic exercise training