# Physical Deconditioning in Lung Cancer Patients Who Underwent Lung Resection Surgery in Spain: A Prospective Observational Study

## TL;DR

This study tracks physical decline in lung cancer patients after surgery in Spain, showing that symptoms and fitness worsen both at discharge and one month later.

## Contribution

The study introduces the use of self-reported physical fitness measures to assess post-surgery deconditioning in lung cancer patients.

## Key findings

- Significant differences in symptoms and physical fitness were observed at discharge compared to pre-surgery.
- One month after surgery, patients reported higher pain and dyspnea, and reduced upper and lower limb fitness.
- Physical deterioration and increased symptoms persisted one month post-discharge.

## Abstract

Lung-resected patients experience physical deterioration that limits their quality of life, but there are important gaps in the knowledge of the evolution of this deterioration. The aim of this study was to assess physical deterioration in lung cancer survivors in the short and medium term, using self-administered functional measures that would allow us to obtain information about patients’ perceptions. These results can facilitate the future management of lung cancer patients after resection, reducing the sequelae they suffer and improving their quality of life.

Background. Lung resection represents the main curative treatment modality for lung cancer. These patients present with physical deterioration that has been studied previously using objective variables; however, no previous studies have evaluated the self-perceived physical fitness of these patients. For these reasons, to increase the current knowledge on lung cancer patients’ impairment, the aim of this study was to characterize the self-perceived physical deconditioning of lung cancer patients undergoing lung resection in the short and medium term after surgery. Methods. A longitudinal, observational, prospective cohort study was performed in the Thoracic Surgery Service of the Hospital Virgen de las Nieves (Granada). Symptoms (pain, fatigue, cough and dyspnea) and physical fitness (upper and lower limbs) were assessed before surgery, at discharge and at one month after discharge. Results. Among the total of 88 patients that we included in our study, significant differences were found at discharge in symptoms (p < 0.05) and physical fitness (p < 0.05). One month after surgery, higher levels of pain (p = 0,002) and dyspnea (p = 0.007) were observed, as well as poorer results in the upper (p = 0.023) and lower limbs’ physical fitness, with regard to the initial values. Conclusions. Patients undergoing lung resection present an increase in symptoms and physical fitness deterioration at discharge, which is maintained one month after surgery.