Lung cancer is a tumour of the thoracic organs and is considered the most common type of cancer in the world. The most common cause of lung cancer is smoking, which can increase the risk of cancer by 8 to 30 times. In Slovenia, lung cancer is the third most common cancer among men and fourth among women. The reduction in mortality rates depends on prevention, early diagnostics, and medical treatment. However, nowadays, it is not only important whether the patient will survive, but also, how they will live after the treatment. Previous research suggests that a better physical fitness is associated with a reduced risk of premature mortality.
The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is the most used non-laboratory test to measure cardio-respiratory capacity in individuals with lung cancer and other lung diseases. It is most often used for pre- and post-operative assessment of patient’s physical fitness. It is a safe and simple test that is performed in a thirty-meter corridor. The task for the participant is to walk the longest distance possible in six minutes.
The purpose of the master’s thesis was to calculate the normative value of the 6MWT for patients with lung cancer and to examine how different interventions affect the distance walked and whether we can improve these values with interventions.
The systematic review of the literature included randomised control trials with adults (men and women) over 18 years of age that were written in English. Participants in the studies were divided into two or three groups. The control group received the usual hospital care, while the participants in the intervention groups received everything from aerobic exercise to inspiratory muscle training, strength training and vibration training.
In the systematic review, we found that the pooled mean for the control group participants in the 6MWT was 437 meters. Moreover, as many as half of the studies the test value was lower at the end than it was at the beginning. For the intervention groups, the result improved in eight out of ten studies. Additionally, in these studies, the intervention was purely exercise-based. The start value of the distanced walked in 6MWT was 463 meters, while the final value was 498 meters. This means that the participants walked 35 meters more on average after the intervention. We can conclude that exercise-based interventions with lung cancer patients can maintain and slightly improve physical fitness, which represents significant clinical improvement for patients with lung pathology.
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