14 October 2024
Coughing, chest pain and a shortness of breath – they’re all distressing symptoms of lung cancer. So, while exercise may seem a counterintuitive activity for lung cancer patients, new research shows otherwise.
In a cornerstone review from a team of global experts* – including Southern Cross University and the University of South Australia – researchers show that exercise may not only improve quality of life and treatment effectiveness, but also boost survival rates for lung cancer patients.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In Australia, it is estimated that 15,122 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year alone.
Examining the effects of exercise on various lung-cancer associated health outcomes, researchers have now developed recommendations for patients and health practitioners, to support exercise before, during and after lung cancer treatments.
Combined aerobic and resistance training, performed 2-5 times per week, is typically prescribed across the cancer continuum. Researchers say that exercise can support lung cancer patients by:
- Improving quality of life: Exercise programs demonstrate improvements in fitness, strength, and quality of life for people with lung cancer before, during, and after treatment.
- Reducing symptoms: Exercise can help manage cancer-related symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, and muscle weakness.
- Reducing post-op complications: Preoperative exercise programs may lead to reduced postoperative complications and shorter hospital stays.
- Boosting wellbeing: Exercise during treatment can help patients maintain muscle mass, reduce fatigue, and improve psychological well-being.
- Increasing appetite: Exercise may play a role in managing cancer cachexia (a common complication of cancer that causes you to lose significant amounts of skeletal muscle and body fat) and can be safe for patients with bone metastases when properly prescribed.
- Easing advanced symptoms: Exercise can be beneficial even for patients with advanced-stage lung cancer, helping to manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Lead author Southern Cross University’s Associate Professor Kellie Toohey says to optimise exercise interventions for lung cancer patients, an integrated approach across interdisciplinary care teams was needed.
“Lung cancer care involves a broad range of healthcare professionals - oncologists, clinical exercise physiologists, dieticians, psychologists, and physical therapists – all of whom must work together to support a patient with exercise,” Associate Professor Toohey says.
“To facilitate this integration, we need to educate healthcare providers and patients about exercise in lung cancer care.
“By highlighting the mental and physical benefits of exercise, we hope that patients can be empowered to take a more active role in their treatment and recovery, potentially transforming their lung cancer journey from passive endurance to active participation in health improvement.”
UniSA researcher Dr Ben Singh says the research challenges beliefs about the inability of people with lung cancer to exercise.
“There’s an often-held misconception that lung cancer patients are too ill or frail to exercise, particularly because their illness affects their lungs and breathing. But contrary to this belief, research shows that exercise can have many benefits for people with lung cancer,” Dr Singh says.
“Exercise has the potential to counteract many health issues, not only improving their quality of life, but also potentially influencing treatment outcomes.
“This is particularly striking given the historically poor prognosis associated with lung cancer.
“Regular, tailored exercise can help improve a patient’s physical condition, helping them better tolerate the physical demand of diagnosis, surgery, treatment, and recovery. It can also vastly improve a patient’s mental health, helping counteract feelings of depression and anxiety, so often associated with a lung cancer diagnosis.”
Notes for editors:
*This research has been conducted by a team of researchers from Southern Cross University, University of Canberra, University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, Edith Cowan University, Flinders University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Notre Dame Australia, University of South Australia, Universidade de Caxias do Sul (Brazil), Institute for Respiratory Health, University of Western Australia, University of Queensland, University of Pittsburgh (USA), Campbelltown Hospital, University of Melbourne, The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Griffith University, and Cancer Council Queensland.
Media contacts
Southern Cross University: Sharlene King, media office, M +61 429 661 349 E scumedia@scu.edu.au
UniSA: Annabel Mansfield, media & communications, M +61 479 182 489 E Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au
UniSA contact for interview: Dr Ben Singh E: Ben.Singh@unisa.edu.au
