1486P - A personalized rehabilitation pilot program for improving QOL of unresectable metastatic lung cancer patients

Background

Living with lung cancer (LC) becomes a long journey where disease consequences and treatment adverse events impact quality of life (QOL) of the patient and the caregiver. Here, HCP's and a patient organization developed and executed a personalized respiratory and physical rehabilitation pilot program for unresectable metastatic LC patients.

Methods

25 stage IV unresectable patients were recruited from a Facebook post. They received 4 physiotherapist visits, where a personalized physiotherapy program was tailored, using a personal booklet and equipment provision. All received two types of recommendations: aerobic and strength activities. The patients and caregivers also received 3 online mental support sessions. EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire was used at the beginning, end of the program and two months after. The physiotherapists measured the patients’ 5 repetitions sit to stand time and 10-meter walk time at the beginning and the end of the program. Significance of results was calculated with repeated measurewithin subjects T test with one way hypothesis and a confident interval of 0.95%.

Results

Significant and maintained improvement was observed in the Sit-to-stand test, from 14.9s to 12.8s, p=0.012, the 10-meter-walk test, from 0.89m/s to 1.22m/s, p=0.014, the global health status and constipation p<0.05. In addition, emotional and social functioning, fatigue symptoms and appetite loss were improved after the intervention, whereas weren't maintained two months after completion of the program. No significant change was observed in cognitive functioning, pain symptoms, dyspnea, insomnia, diarrhea and financial difficulties. Interestingly, there was high compliance from patients and caregivers to participate in the program.

Conclusions

With the limitation of low numbers of participants, our pilot program shows feasibility and efficacy of home-based rehabilitation program for LC patients. Patients’ high desire for the intervention emphasizes the unmet need. Further investigation and extended support after program completion is needed to maintain improvement.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The Israeli Lung Cancer Foundation.

Funding

The Lung Ambition Alliance.

Disclosure

S. Shilo: Financial Interests, Personal and Institutional, Advisory Board: Roche, Sanofi. D. Urban: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role: Roche, Merck, Jansen, BMS, Takeda, Medison. A. Zer: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Roche, BMS, MSD, Takeda, Pfizer, Novartis; Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AstraZeneca, Steba, Oncohost; Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Safety Review Committee Member: Beyond Air; Financial Interests, Personal, Stocks/Shares: Nixio; Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: BMS. A. Agbarya, N. Peled: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role: Roche, AstraZeneca, BMS, MSD. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.