Pulmonary Rehabılıtatıon After Chemotherapy In Patıents 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.