A 12-Week Multi-Modal Exercise Program: Feasibility of Combined Exercise and Simplified 8-Style Tai Chi Following Lung Cancer Surgery

Abstract

Objective: To assess the feasibility, safety, and preliminary effect of a 12-week multi-modal rehabilitation program targeted at improving health-related quality of life and physical activity levels of patients with lung cancer following treatment. Methods: Patients with stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer were included 6 to 12 weeks following completion of treatment. The intervention comprised of aerobic exercise (brisk walking), resistance training and 8-style Tai Chi. The 12-week program included 2 supervised center-based sessions per week of 90 minutes duration and home-based exercise. The primary outcomes were the feasibility and safety of the intervention. Secondary outcomes (assessed pre and post program) were physical and patient-reported outcomes. Results: Seventy-eight patients were approached during the 6-month recruitment period and 17 (22%) consented to the study. Eight participants (47%) met the definition of adherence to the program (attending at least 70% of supervised sessions). No serious adverse events occurred. A significant reduction in anxiety and depression was observed post-program. In addition, improvements in respiratory function, sleep quality, and some health-related quality of life domains were observed post-program. There were no significant differences in functional capacity or physical activity levels. Conclusion: This multi-modal exercise training program was safe, although the feasibility of the program in its current state is not supported given the low consent rate and low adherence to the intervention.

An exercise prescription for patients with lung cancer improves the quality of life, depression, and anxiety

“…Thus, we suggest a future study that considers the effects of medication to determine whether exercise can improve such symptoms. The dropout rate in this study was 28.85%, which is not high compared to other studies of patients with lung cancer (16,23,40). This could be attributed to the fact that the patients in the present study were older adults.…”

“…The dropout rate in this study was 28.85%, which is not high compared to other studies of patients with lung cancer ( 16 , 23 , 40 ). This could be attributed to the fact that the patients in the present study were older adults.…”

“…Compared with previous studies, we stress that exercise intensity and volume must be sufficient for patients with lung cancer. One study reported that the exercise prescription that combined eight-movement Tai Chi, a Chinese traditional exercise similar to Baduanjin, with resistance training for patients with lung cancer improved depression and anxiety but failed to improve most aspects of QoL ( 40 ). Compared to our exercise prescription, it included a smaller volume of aerobic exercise and a lower frequency of resistance training.…”

Lifestyle Interventions with Mind-Body or Stress-Management Practices for Cancer Survivors: A Rapid Review

“…Of the 33 studies included, 16 were pre-post interventions, 13 were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 3 were pooled analyses of multiple RCTs, and 1 was a quasi-experimental study. The majority of studies were conducted in the US [ 18 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ] or Denmark [ 19 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ], with the remaining studies conducted in Canada [ 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ], China [ 44 , 45 , 46 ], South Korea [ 47 , 48 ], Turkey [ 49 ], Germany [ 50 ], France [ 51 ], the Netherlands [ 52 ], Australia [ 53 ], and Spain [ 54 ]. Most studies (58%) were conducted in 2016 or later; all studies were conducted between 2001 and 2022.…”

Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Postoperative Clinical Status in Patients with Lung Cancer and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Tai chi and qi gong have been shown to be good substitutes for routine exercises during rehabilitation therapy [38]. Lu et al [39] found that the combination of tai chi with traditional PR for lung cancer survivors was safe. It is therefore necessary to explore more effective rehabilitation treatments.…”