Pulmonary Rehabilitation Exercises Effectively Improve Chronic Cough After Surgery for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer - Research findings

Q: What problem does the study address after lung cancer surgery?

Postoperative cough, especially persistent chronic cough after recovery, which can significantly affect lung function and quality of life. The study targets long-term management gaps for this symptom.

Q: How was the pulmonary rehabilitation program evaluated in the study?

A retrospective review (Jan 2019–Dec 2022) compared a traditional rehabilitation group with a pulmonary rehabilitation group in non-small cell lung cancer patients after VATS lobectomy and lymph node dissection. All patients completed the Leicester cough questionnaire (LCQ) on postoperative day 3 and were reassessed at 6 months with LCQ and lung function.

Q: What were the key findings at 6-month follow-up?

The pulmonary rehabilitation group showed a lower incidence of cough and higher LCQ scores across somatic, mental, sociological, and total dimensions. Lung function measures including FVC, FEV1, MVV, and DLCO-related parameters were also higher than in the traditional group.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Ivy

Cough remains a major complication after lung cancer surgery, undermining lung function and quality of life, while effective management of persistent postoperative cough is not well established. This retrospective study evaluated whether a pulmonary rehabilitation training program improves chronic cough outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer patients after lobectomy and lymph node dissection via VATS. Patients received LCQ assessment on day 3 and lung function and LCQ reassessment at 6 months to determine sustained effects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Plain Language Summary

Keywords

Received / Revised / Accepted

| Pulmonary Rehabilitation Exercises Effectively Improve Chronic Cough After Surgery for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer | Cancer Control Volume 31: 1–10
© The Author(s) 2024
Article reuse guidelines:
[sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)
[DOI: 10.1177/10732748241255824](DOI: 10.1177/10732748241255824)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/10732748241255824)[journals.sagepub.com/home/ccx](journals.sagepub.com/home/ccx)

| | --- | --- | | Nanzhi Luo, MD 1,2, Fuqiang Dai, MD3, Xintian Wang, MD3, Binbin Hu, PhD, MD4, Lin Zhang, MD5, and Kejia Zhao, PhD, MD 1 􀀁
Abstract
Introduction: Cough is a major complication after lung cancer surgery, potentially impacting lung function and quality of life. However, effective treatments for managing long-term persistent postoperative cough remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the potential of a pulmonary rehabilitation training program to effectively address this issue.
Methods: Between January 2019 and December 2022, a retrospective review was conducted on patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent lobectomy and lymph node dissection via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) at Daping hospital. Based on their postoperative rehabilitation methods, the patients were categorized into 2 groups: the traditional rehabilitation group and the pulmonary rehabilitation group. All patients underwent assessment using the Leicester cough questionnaire (LCQ) on the third postoperative day. Additionally, at the 6-month follow-up, patients’ LCQ scores and lung function were re-evaluated to assess the long-term effects of the pulmonary rehabilitation training programs.
Results: Among the 276 patients meeting the inclusion criteria, 195 (70.7%) were in the traditional rehabilitation group, while 81 (29.3%) participated in the pulmonary rehabilitation group. The pulmonary rehabilitation group showed a signiﬁcantly lower incidence of cough on the third postoperative day (16.0% vs 29.7%, P = .018) and higher LCQ scores in the somatic dimension (5.09 ± .81 vs 4.15 ± 1.22, P = .007) as well as in the total score (16.44 ± 2.86 vs 15.11 ± 2.51, P = .018, whereas there were no signiﬁcant differences in psychiatric and sociological dimensions. At the 6-month follow-up, the pulmonary rehabilitation group continued to have a lower cough incidence (3.7% vs 12.8%, P = .022) and higher LCQ scores across all dimensions: somatic (6.19 ± .11 vs 5.75 ± 1.20, P = .035), mental (6.37 ± 1.19 vs 5.85 ± 1.22, P = .002), sociological (6.76 ± 1.22 vs 5.62 ± 1.08, P <.001), and total (18.22 ± 2.37 vs 16.21 ± 2.53, P < .001). Additionally, lung function parameters including FVC, FVC%, FEV1, FEV1%, MVV, MVV%, DLCO SB, and DLCO% were all signiﬁcantly higher in the pulmonary rehabilitation group compared to the traditional group.
Conclusion: Pulmonary rehabilitation exercises signiﬁcantly reduced the incidence of postoperative cough and improved cough-related quality of life in patients undergoing lobectomy, with sustained beneﬁts observed at the 6-month follow-up. | | | 1 Department of Thoracic Surgery and Institute of Thoracic Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China 2Frontiers Science Center for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
3Department of Thoracic Surgery, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China 4Department of Radiation Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China 5Department of Stomatology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
Corresponding Authors:
Lin Zhang, Department of Stomatology, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University Chongqing 400042, China.
[Email:](Email: 415326117@qq.com)[ 415326117@qq.com](Email: 415326117@qq.com)
Kejia Zhao, Department of Thoracic Surgery and Institute of Thoracic Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37, Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P. R. Chi

FAQs

What problem does the study address after lung cancer surgery?

Postoperative cough, especially persistent chronic cough after recovery, which can significantly affect lung function and quality of life. The study targets long-term management gaps for this symptom.

How was the pulmonary rehabilitation program evaluated in the study?

A retrospective review (Jan 2019–Dec 2022) compared a traditional rehabilitation group with a pulmonary rehabilitation group in non-small cell lung cancer patients after VATS lobectomy and lymph node dissection. All patients completed the Leicester cough questionnaire (LCQ) on postoperative day 3 and were reassessed at 6 months with LCQ and lung function.

What were the key findings at 6-month follow-up?

The pulmonary rehabilitation group showed a lower incidence of cough and higher LCQ scores across somatic, mental, sociological, and total dimensions. Lung function measures including FVC, FEV1, MVV, and DLCO-related parameters were also higher than in the traditional group.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Ivy