Lung Cancer Rehabilitation After Medical Treatment

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and associated with high disease burden, symptoms and poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in China (with rates rising due to the smoking incidence) and is the leading cause of cancer-related death. The burden is on patients, families, the healthcare system and society, and will continue to rise into the future. The full impact of this in China has not yet occurred. New strategies are urgently required to improve survivorship. This multi-site, assessor blinded, two-arm superiority randomised controlled trial, conducted at two hospitals in China, aims to test the effect of exercise rehabilitation, compared to usual care (no exercise rehabilitation) on HRQoL and functional outcomes in 150 patients treated for lung cancer. The primary hypothesis is that exercise rehabilitation will be superior to usual care, in improving HRQoL at 12-weeks (post program). Secondary aims include measuring the effectiveness of exercise rehabilitation, compared to usual care on function, physical activity, symptoms, mood, sleep and program costs. Faecal samples (500mg) will be collected before and after the intervention.