Prehabilitation for Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Lung Resection

Trial details

Who runs it

Universidade do Porto

Trial code

NCT06802627

Record updated

31 January 2025

Original description

Lung surgical resection is the gold standard treatment for earlier stages of lung cancer patients. Nevertheless, postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) are frequent, related to morbidity and mortality, increasing length of hospital stay (LOS), hospital costs, delaying adjuvant treatments, and patients suffering. The PPC often occurs on postoperative days, even after hospital discharge. Prehabilitation might reduce PPC, although few studies have compared the effectiveness of different training protocols, and no information is available regarding the possible benefits of expiratory muscle training. Moreover, there are no comparisons of the cost-benefits of other protocols in patients submitted to lung resection surgery.Read full original descriptionShow less

Influence of Prehabilitation on Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Patient Undergoing Lung Resection Surgery

Lung surgical resection is the gold standard treatment for earlier stages of lung cancer patients. Nevertheless, postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) are frequent, related to morbidity and mortality, increasing length of hospital stay (LOS), hospital costs, delaying adjuvant treatments, and patients suffering. The PPC often occurs on postoperative days, even after hospital discharge. Prehabilitation might reduce PPC, although few studies have compared the effectiveness of different training protocols, and no information is available regarding the possible benefits of expiratory muscle training. Moreover, there are no comparisons of the cost-benefits of other protocols in patients submitted to lung resection surgery.

This project investigates the effectiveness of and compares four different prehabilitation protocols in reducing PPC and LOS in patients selected for lung cancer resections.

Participants will be individuals referred to surgical resection due to lung cancer. Patients who meet the inclusion criteria will be invited to participate in the study. After clinical data collection, patients will be randomly allocated (simple method) into four groups [Control - CG, receiving an education session; Inspiratory muscle training group (IMT-G) receiving education session plus inspiratory muscle training (IMT); expiratory muscle training group (EMT-G) receiving education session plus expiratory muscle training (EMT); global exercise training group (GET-G) receiving education session plus a general exercise training (GET)], and evaluated for functional capacity (pulmonary function, respiratory muscle function, physical fitness, daily physical activity, dyspnoea, fatigue, quality of life, anxiety, depression, and a 24-hour food diary. Afterward, all patients will receive an education class and written information regarding healthy habits to follow before, during, and after hospital discharge. Patients allocated to exercise groups will start the prehabilitation intervention for two weeks. After the intervention, patient assessments will be repeated. After that, patients will be submitted to surgery, and anesthetic and surgical procedure data will be collected. During hospital recovery, all patients will receive physiotherapy and any etiological complications and the LOS will be recorded according to medical criteria. After hospital discharge, PPC will be monitored and recorded for 30 days; by then, patients will be submitted to the final assessment.

Inclusion: Adult patients accepted for lung resection surgery, due to lung cancer, at the Cardiothoracic Department of Unidade Local de Saúde São João; Not included in any type of prehabilitation program.

Exclusion: Patients that underwent previous thoracic surgery; Diagnosis of cardiac, or hematological or neurologic diseases; Pulmonary hypertension; Renal failure; Patients with cognitive and mental disorders; Patients submitted to pneumectomy; Patients with impairments in autonomous deambulation; Patients already included in any prehabilitation program.

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06802627