Exercise and the Lung Cancer Tumor Microenvironment
University of Arizona
Summary
There is increased interest and knowledge about the lung cancer tumor microenvironment (TME). Investigators hypothesize that patients with better baseline physiologic health will have better post-operative outcomes and that strenuous exercise will alter the TME and genetic make-up of the tumor, improving the tumor immune response. Investigators aim to identify the peri-operative and clinical outcomes that differ based on pre-operative VO2max, HRV and resting heart rate following resection of early-stage lung cancer. The physiologic states that are individual and measurable with wearable devices include but are not limited to VO2max, heart rate variability (HRV), and average resting heart rate. Investgators hypothesize that a patient's pre-operative physiologic function with higher VO2max, HRV and lower resting heart rate will be associated with improved peri-operative and post-operative outcomes. Second, investigators will compare alterations in TME based on targeted pre-operative exercise (60-80% of their VO2 max for 75min/week x2 weeks) compared to normal activity adults following resection of early-stage lung cancer. Investigators hypothesize that strenuous exercise in the pre-operative period will impact the TME by increasing levels of cytokines.
Description
Background Lung cancer continues to be the most common cause of cancer related death in both men and women. Patients have variable responses to treatment, whether they receive neoadjuvant therapy or surgery alone. Many of these variations can be attributed to known patient risk factors including age, smoking status, and BMI. However, there are more complex pathophysiologic factors that affect how patients respond and recover from all insults, including cancer. Lung cancer resides in a complex milieu known as the lung tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME includes the cellular makeup of the t…