The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) has announced funding for innovative new research, which will look at the effects of exercise on lung cancer treatment and recovery.

Around 2,500 people in Ireland are newly diagnosed with this type of cancer every year. Treatment options include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and in some cases, surgery, which can involve removal of part, or all, of the lung that contains cancer.

Lung cancer surgery carries a number of risks, including a long recovery time, poor health afterwards and sometimes even death. Researcher, Shauna Malone, has been awarded a four-year grant by the ICS to investigate whether exercise can improve surgery outcomes and overall quality of life.

The research will focus on two main areas. The first will look at the effect that surgery has on physical fitness and quality of life in patients with cancer. It will examine if low fitness is linked to poorer recovery from surgery. Participants will have their fitness and quality of life tracked from the time of their diagnosis to after their surgery

The second will look at whether exercise can improve fitness, recovery from surgery and quality of life. Participants will be split into four groups:
-Group 1 will exercise both before and after surgery
-Group 2 will exercise before surgery only
-Group 4 will exercise after surgery only
-Group 4 will not exercise.

The aim of this is to determine when exercise is most effective, if at all. The results may help better prepare patients for surgery and improve their recovery after.

The research will be carried out in Dublin City University's (DCU) School of Health and Human Performance. Ms Malone is is an instructor in DCU's MedEx Wellness, a series of a novel community-based chronic illness rehabilitation programmes.

MedEx offers medically supervised exercise classes to patients with a range of chronic illnesses, including cancer. Lung cancer patients recruited to this study who are assigned to the exercise groups will undertake their sessions in MedEx.

"In my work with MedEx I see the benefits exercise and physical fitness can have on the bodies and minds of people with chronic illness. My research now provides the opportunity to scientifically measure the advantages of exercise before and after lung cancer surgery. These results may have a real impact on the survival and quality of life of future lung cancer patients," Ms Malone commented.

Carmel Drohan (50) from Artane in Dublin has experienced some of the benefits exercise can offer when it comes to the cancer treatment process. She was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in 2015. Following surgeries and chemotherapy, she was referred to the MedEx Move On programme.

"This was the best thing ever. I had 12 weeks of group classes and the assessment results showed that I practically doubled my fitness levels. I strongly believed the programme helped my recovery hugely.

"Late last year, my cancer returned. This time, a small tumour was found in each of my lungs. While I underwent two surgeries to remove some of the tumours, recovery from my second surgery was so much better than my first because in the four-week gap between operations, and under my doctor's supervision, I was able to exercise and get fitter," Ms Drohan explained.

According to Prof Niall Moyna of DCU's School of Health and Human Performance, and one of Ms Malone's supervisors, pre-operative exercise for people with lung cancer ‘is a new and exciting research topic' and this study will give Ms Malone the opportunity ‘to really impact patient care'.

The ICS will continue to monitor Ms Malone's progress throughout this four-year project, ensuring her research is carried out to world-class standards.

"Fostering the development of strong Irish cancer research careers is key to ensuring that Ireland continues to play an ever more important part in efforts to overcome cancer.

"We want the donations we receive from the public to go towards world-class cancer research, and so have developed a stringent three-tier review process that research applicants must get through before receiving funding for their work. To apply you must be a cancer expert. To be awarded you must stand out in this very competitive field," noted the ICS's head of research, Dr Robert O'Connor.

The signs and symptoms of lung cancer are:
-A cough that does not go away or a change in a long-term cough
-Shortness of breath or wheezing
-Repeated chest infections that will not go away even after antibiotics
-Coughing up blood-stained phlegm
-Pain in the chest, especially when you cough or breathe in
-Feeling more tired than usual
-Unexplained weight loss
-Hoarse voice, problems swallowing or swelling in the face or neck.

The ICS encourages people to fill in its simple online lung health checker here

To speak to a cancer nurse about this, or any other type of cancer, call 1800 200 700 or email cancernurseline@irishcancer.ie