Association between Pulmonary Function and Stair-Climbing Test Results after Lung Resection: A Pilot Study

The stair-climbing test was used to assess the exercise capacity before lung resection in subjects with lung cancer. However, few studies have systematically evaluated the role of this exercise methodology as a postoperative test. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the stair-climbing test findings reflect the postoperative decrease in pulmonary function.

Twenty subjects with non-small-cell lung cancer who underwent lung resection were enrolled in the study. Perioperative functional evaluation comprised the pulmonary function test, stair-climbing test, and 6-min walk distance test (6MWD). A correlation analysis was performed between the postoperative percentages of pulmonary function with respect to preoperative values and the exercise capacity.

No correlation was noted between the percentage changes in pulmonary function and those in 6MWD. However, there was a significant correlation between the percentage changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 s and those in the altitude reached in the stair-climbing test (r=0.46, p < 0.05) and between the percentage changes in carbon monoxide lung diffusion capacity and those in the altitude (r=0.54, p < 0.05).

The stair-climbing test findings might be effective at detecting changes in exercise capacity induced by postoperative decrease in pulmonary function.