• Naomi Takemura, Denise Shuk Ting Cheung, FongDaniel Yee TakDYTSchool of Nursing (N.T., D.S.T.C., D.Y.T.F., C.C.L.), Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong., David Hui, Anne Wing Mui Lee, Tai-Chung Lam, James Chung-Man Ho, Tsz Yeung Kam, Jeannie Yin Kwan Chik, and Chia-Chin Lin.
• School of Nursing (N.T., D.S.T.C., D.Y.T.F., C.C.L.), Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2024 Aug 1; 68 (2): 171179171-179.

ContextDyspnea, a prevalent and debilitating symptom in patients with advanced lung cancer, negatively affects symptom burden and prognosis. Physical activity has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological intervention for managing dyspnea.ObjectivesThis study compared the effectiveness of two widely-recognized physical activity modalities, namely Tai Chi (TC) and aerobic exercise (AE) for treating dyspnea in patients with advanced lung cancer.MethodsPatients with advanced lung cancer (n=226) were randomized into TC, AE, or control groups. There was no baseline dyspnea requirement for patients. The AE group received two 60-minute supervised sessions and home-based exercises per month, the TC group received 60-minute sessions twice weekly, and the control group received exercise guidelines for 16 weeks. The primary outcome (sleep quality) of the study has been previously reported. In this secondary analysis, we focused on dyspnea outcomes, including overall and lung cancer-specific dyspnea. Assessments were conducted at baseline (T0), 16 weeks (T1), and one year (T2).ResultsCompared to the control group, TC significantly improved overall dyspnea at T1 (between-group difference, -8.69; P=0.03) and T2 (between-group difference, -11.45; P=0.01), but not AE. Both AE (between-group difference, -11.04; P=0.01) and TC (between-group difference, -14.19; P<0.001) significantly alleviated lung cancer-specific dyspnea at T2 compared with the control group.ConclusionBoth TC and AE alleviate dyspnea severity in patients with advanced lung cancer, and continuous exercise can yield substantial improvements. Due to its multi-component nature, Tai Chi has a greater effect on dyspnea.Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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