Aerobic Physical Exercise and Lung Cancer: a Review Study

Abstract

Introduction: The cancer treatment leads to deleterious effects in healthy cells and may represent a major impact on patients' lives. In this way, physical activity has proven to be an opponent of these effects. Objective: To identify the effects of aerobic exercise in patients with lung cancer and its possible repercussions on functional capacity and quality of life. Method: A search was conducted on the Medline, Web of Science y PEDro databases, without restriction of publication year. To be included in this review, the studies needed to have assessed patients before and after interventions; to clearly describe the exercise program carried out; to be written in: Portuguese, English, Spanish, French or Italian; and to be already published. Results: Fifteen studies met the eligibility criteria and were included. In the analysis of functional capacity, it is possible to observe a significant increase in it in most of the studies. Among studies, only 5 evaluated the quality of life. The results as to this variable were very diverse; however, most studies have found a significant difference at least in one subscale of the questionnaires. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that aerobic exercises programs have a positive effect on functional capacity and quality of life in lung cancer patients. Despite the increasing publications in the recent years, it´s possible to identify several gaps for safety implementation of these exercise programs in clinical practice.