Page 18 - Inspire Autumn/Winter Edition 2017

Research News

Improving the Care of Patients

With so much focus on the early detection of lung cancer,
research into patient experience is often left wanting.
But not by us.

Lung cancer patients deserve to have the best care and
quality of life possible. We fund projects to ensure this
happens, including a project by Dr Matthew Maddocks at
Kings College London, who looked to determine the
pattern and extent of weakness in people with lung cancer.

Matthew explains exactly what this means for patients:

“Patients with chronic or advanced stage lung cancer often
suffer from muscle weakness; losing muscle strength and the
bulk of the muscle. This can be due to symptoms; lung cancer
causes high levels of inflammation, which causes the muscles to
decondition and lose bulk. However, changes in lifestyle, such
as becoming less active and exercising less, can also result in
muscle wastage.
“This research is directly feeding into the policymakers
“This study looked to see if there are any patterns in muscle who now know the importance of keeping as active as
wasting and the main drivers of muscle dysfunction. possible from the point of diagnosis and the positive
impact it can have on the rehabilitation or palliative care
“If inflammation was driving the muscle problems, we would of lung cancer patients. It may not be as headline-grabbing
see it across the body – in the leg and arm muscles as well as in as research into early detection but, for the people
the muscles linked to breathing. If deconditioning was the root whose quality of lives it improves, it is just as important.”
cause, if the patient was less physically active, then we would
expect to see much more weakening in their legs while their
arms and breathing muscles would be relatively unaffected.
Patient, Janette, recalls how keeping
“And that is what we found, that deconditioning is compounding active helped her rehabilitation:
muscle weakness. This means patients need to try and remain as “A month after diagnosis, the surgeon told me
active as possible. I could regain my fitness by gentle walking and
exercises. Problem was, I ended up suffering from
“This is particularly important information to pass on to loved tendonitis so I started swimming.
ones and carers. It’s human nature to want to help and protect
the patient and that can often mean you do daily tasks and “Although the surgeon warned me that it would
activities for them, thinking it’s in their best interests. We now be painful, I was not prepared for how difficult it
know this isn’t the case.” was going to be. I had no stamina, no
breathing rhythm and hardly any mobility in my
These findings will now be shared with the Department for arm and shoulder.
Health Lung Cancer Clinical Reference Group with a view to
changing policy. It is unlikely to have happened without Roy “But I persevered and, eventually, regained my
Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s Open Grants Programme, fitness. What I hadn’t counted on was how good it
as Matthew explains: made me feel.

“There is very little research into patient experience. “Keeping active is so important. I credit it with
Because of this, policymakers – the people producing national improving my overall health – both physically and
guidelines and best practice documentation – are missing vital mentally.”
bits of information so patients aren’t necessarily getting the best
advice and care.

18 Inspire 2017