Exercise jumpstarts quality of life in lung ca

Early-stage lung cancer patients who exercise regularly have a better quality of life, according to a study conducted at Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center.

The researchers followed 175 people who completed surgical treatment for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer within the previous six years (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 18: 664-672, 2009).

Patients were asked to estimate their physical activity level six months prior to their diagnosis and six months post-treatment.

One in four participants met physical activity guidelines-60 minutes each week of strenuous activity or 150 minutes of moderate exercise-and reported a better quality of life.