Surg Oncol

Abstract

Objectives:Pre-operative exercise may improve functional outcomes for lung cancer patients, but barriers associated with cost, resources, and burden make it challenging to deliver pre-operative exercise programs. The goal of this proof-of-concept study was to determine level of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and change in aerobic capacity after participation in a pre-operative exercise intervention.Materials and Methods:Eighteen patients scheduled for surgery for suspected stage I-III lung cancer received an exercise prescription from their surgeon and wore a commercially-available device that tracked their daily MVPA throughout the pre-operative period. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate adherence to the exercise prescription. A one-sample t test was used to explore change in aerobic capacity from baseline to the day of surgery.Results:Participants exhibited a mean of 20.4 (sd = 46.2) minutes of MVPA per day during the pre-operative period. On average, the sample met the goal of 30 minutes of MVPA on 16.4% of the days during the pre-operative period. The mean distance achieved at baseline for the six-minute walk test was 456.7 meters (sd = 72.9), which increased to 471.1 meters (sd = 88.4) on the day of surgery. This equates to a mean improvement of 13.8 meters (sd=37.0), but this difference was not statistically different from zero (p = 0.14). Eight of the 17 participants (47%) demonstrated a clinically significant improvement of 14 meters or more.Conclusion:A surgeon-delivered exercise prescription plus an activity tracker may promote clinically significant improvement in aerobic capacity and MVPA engagement among patients with lung cancer during the pre-operative period, but may need to be augmented with more contact with and support from practitioners over time to maximize benefits.T32 MH073553/MH/NIMH NIH HHSUnited States/UL1 TR001086/TR/NCATS NIH HHSUnited States/U48 DP005018/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHSUnited States/U48DP005018/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States/K23 AG051681/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/2022-06-01T00:00:00Z33813267PMC821719711425vault:3720