The effect of pulmonary rehabilitation on quality of life and functional capacity after chemotherapy in patients with small cell lung cancer

This study aimed to investigate the effect of pulmonary rehabilitation on quality of life during the survival period in individuals with small cell lung cancer.

Thirty-six patients with a diagnosis of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), who completed chemotherapy treatment and were in the survival period, were included in the study. A pulmonary rehabilitation program was applied to individuals at 40–70% of submaximal heart rate, 3 days a week for 8 weeks. The pulmonary rehabilitation program will consist of warm up, breathing exercises, gait training, aerobic exercises, and cool down exercises. Demographic information, walking distance, and presence of dyspnea were questioned. Inspiration/expiration difference was evaluated. Vital signs were evaluated before each session. Quality of life was assessed with the Cancer-Specific Developed Quality of Life Scale (EORTC-QLQ-C30).

Of the patients, 80% (36 people) completed the entire 8-week program. The mean age of the individuals was 51.78 ± 10.23. In the evaluation made at the end of the rehabilitation program, it was observed that the walking distance of the individuals increased significantly. Inspiration of individuals’ expiratory difference increased by an average of 2.01 ± 0.40 cm. Improvement was found in the sub-parameters of quality of life (p < 0.05).

The participants with small cell lung cancer had decreased quality of life due to long-term immobilization, surgery, hospitalization times, side effects of chemotherapy treatment, and other problems. Regular exercise programs can provide an increase in the individual’s pulmonary functions. Individual-specific pulmonary rehabilitation programs have important contributions to the quality of life in SCLC on the survival period, and it has shown that this study can guide physiotherapists and physicians working in oncological rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation.