Musculoskeletal Disorders Related to Upper Limb Disability after One-Year Lung Cancer Resection

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Musculoskeletal Disorders

Background:

• Lung resection is a primary curative treatment for lung cancer.
• Post-surgical complications often include cardiovascular, pulmonary, and muscular disturbances.
• Long-term upper limb impairment after lung resection is understudied despite its impact on patient independence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize upper limb musculoskeletal and functional impairments in lung cancer survivors one year after pulmonary resection.
• To compare upper limb function in lung cancer survivors to healthy individuals.

Main Methods:

• Observational trial comparing lung cancer survivors to age- and gender-matched healthy controls.
• Evaluation of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders: shoulder range of motion, pain pressure threshold, nerve-related symptoms.
• Assessment of functional capacity: upper limb exercise capacity.
• Study included 76 lung cancer survivors and 74 healthy subjects.

Main Results:

• Significant differences observed in active shoulder mobility (p < 0.05) between groups.
• Lung cancer survivors exhibited widespread hypersensitivity to mechanical pain (p < 0.001) and neural mechanosensitivity (p < 0.001).
• Upper limb exercise capacity was significantly reduced in lung cancer survivors (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Patients undergoing lung cancer surgery experience significant upper limb musculoskeletal disorders one year post-resection.
• Functional impairment of the upper limb is evident in lung cancer survivors after one year.
• These long-term upper limb conditions may negatively impact patient functionality and quality of life.