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Exercise behavior and physical fitness in patients with advanced lung cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this work was to evaluate exercise behavior and physical fitness of advanced lung cancer patients shortly after primary diagnosis.

Methods

Between November 2013 and December 2016, advanced lung cancer patients (n = 227, mean age 62.2 years) were enrolled shortly after diagnosis and 211 patients were tested for endurance capacity (six-minute walk test) and strength performance (maximum voluntary isometric contraction of upper and lower extremities). Current and previous exercise and walking behavior were assessed using a self-reported questionnaire regarding type, frequency, intensity, and duration. Paired Student’s t tests were used to compare physical fitness to reference data. The relation of potential determinants with physical fitness was assessed using linear regression analysis.

Results

Exercise behavior was superior in the year before diagnosis compared to the time of study enrollment. Patients reduced frequency, intensity, and duration of sports/exercise after their lung cancer diagnosis. We observed significantly lower endurance capacity (p < .01) and strength performance in lower extremities (p < .01) in male and female patients compared to age and sex-matched reference data. We found significant correlations of previous exercise and walking behavior with physical fitness shortly after diagnosis in patients with advanced lung cancer.

Conclusion

Patients with advanced lung cancer showed impaired physical fitness regarding endurance and strength capacity. The strong decline in participation of sports/exercise shortly after diagnosis supports early implementation of physical exercise during anti-cancer treatment.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02055508

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Acknowledgements

The POSITIVE study (Part III) is funded by the research funding program “Exercise and Cancer” of the Deutsche Krebshilfe (DKH). The authors thank the study patients for participating in this program and for willingly spending their time to complete study procedures. We also thank Ulrike Rieber (study nurse) for patient screening and assistance in recruitment; Katja Thiel (advanced practice nurse) for conducting counseling and care within care-management-phone-calls; and Katlynn Mathis for native speaker proof reading.

Funding

The research was funded by a grant of the German Cancer Aid (POSITIVE-Study Grant No. 110505).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Activity, Prevention and Cancer, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) and German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 460, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Christina Titz & Martina E. Schmidt

  2. Department of Oncology, Clinic for Thoracic Diseases, Thoraxklinik am Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Röntgenstraße 1, 69126, Heidelberg, Germany

    Christina Titz, Simone Hummler, Michael Thomas & Martin Steins

  3. Heidelberg University Clinic, Nationales Centrum für Tumorerkrankungen Heidelberg (NCT), Abt. Medizinische Onkologie – AG Onkologische Sport- und Bewegungstherapie, Im Neuenheimer Feld 460, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Christina Titz & Joachim Wiskemann

  4. Department of Pneumology and Intensive Care Unit, Clinic for Thoracic Diseases, Thoraxklinik am Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Röntgenstraße 1, 69126, Heidelberg, Germany

    Simone Hummler

  5. Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (TLRC), Heidelberg, Germany

    Simone Hummler, Michael Thomas & Martin Steins

  6. Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany

    Simone Hummler & Michael Thomas

  7. National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany

    Joachim Wiskemann

Authors
  1. Christina Titz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joachim Wiskemann.

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Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Martin Steins and Joachim Wiskemann shared last authorship.

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Titz, C., Hummler, S., Schmidt, M.E. et al. Exercise behavior and physical fitness in patients with advanced lung cancer. Support Care Cancer 26, 2725–2736 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4105-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4105-5

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