Exercise is increasingly being recognized as an important part of supportive cancer care, Dr. Scott says. “For most people with lung cancer, staying physically active is both safe and beneficial, when exercise is tailored to their current health status, symptoms, and treatment plan.”
Helps Manage Treatment Side Effects
One of the main benefits of physical activity for lung cancer is that it helps ease treatment side effects.
“Cancer treatments overall can substantially contribute to fatigue and deconditioning,” says Preethi Prasad, MD, a medical oncologist and hematologist at Houston Methodist West Hospital in Texas. “Exercise can help counteract fatigue as well as the decline in functional status and strength that can accompany treatment.”
Patients often expect exercise to make them more exhausted, Scott says. “But in reality, an individualized exercise program tends to improve energy levels over time because it helps preserve muscle mass, cardiovascular fitness, and physical function.”
One study led by Scott of 90 lung cancer survivors who were mainly sedentary found that aerobic training three times per week for about four months led to improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life.
The benefits of exercise extend to those with active cancer, including those in later stages. One review of eight clinical trials involving 749 people with advanced lung cancer found that exercise, including aerobic activity, resistance training, and traditional Chinese exercises like tai chi and qigong, significantly reduced cancer-related fatigue, reduced shortness of breath, and improved quality of life.
Exercise can also help mitigate chemotherapy-induced neuropathy (nerve damage), cognitive issues, and pain, Dr. Prasad says.
Improves Lung Function
Thanks to the improvements in fitness, many patients notice that they can perform activities such as climbing stairs, shopping, or walking longer distances with less breathlessness after participating in an exercise program, Scott says.
“Pulmonary rehabilitation and supervised exercise programs can be particularly helpful for individuals with significant respiratory symptoms,” she notes.
Boosts Mood
Research shows that exercise can help improve mood by reducing depression and anxiety in individuals with cancer.
“Physical activity stimulates the release of neurotransmitters and other biological factors associated with improved emotional well-being,” Scott says.
One systematic review and meta-analysis of 25 randomized clinical trials found that physical activity was linked to both short- and long-term positive mental health effects in people living with cancer. Of the 1,931 patients studied, those who participated in aerobic exercise, including walking, jogging, cycling, and using the elliptical machine, reported having fewer symptoms of depression at one month and again 6 to 12 months later.
Enhances Quality of Life
Research shows that physical activity helps improve quality of life by reducing symptom burden in people with lung cancer.
“A cancer diagnosis often leaves people feeling that their lives are being dictated by appointments, scans, and treatments,” Scott says. “Exercise gives patients an opportunity to focus on something they can actively do for themselves during a time when many aspects of their illness may feel outside of their control.”