Objectives: To investigate the effects of a preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation programme in patients with lung cancer undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery.
Design: Randomized, single-blind controlled trial.
Setting: Teaching hospital.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. For early stages of the disease, lung resection surgery remains the best treatment with curative intent, but significant morbidity is associated, especially among patients with poor pulmonary function and cardiorespiratory fitness. In those cases, the implementation of a preoperative exercise-based intervention could optimize patient's functional status before surgery and improve postoperative outcomes and enhance recovery.
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