What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to evaluate lifestyle factors and their impact on quality of life in patients newly diagnosed with thoracic malignancies.

March 21, 2026Open Access

554P VATS pleural biopsy versus cell block cytology in the diagnosis of malignant pleural tumours: A 5-year single-centre experience

FCF.S. Caushi ISIlir SkenduliSpitali Universitar Shefqet Ndroqi ETEritjan TashiSpitali Universitar Shefqet Ndroqi

Key Points

This study aims to evaluate lifestyle factors and their impact on quality of life in patients newly diagnosed with thoracic malignancies.
Conducted a cross-sectional study at a single centre (University Hospital of Verona).
Patients completed surveys assessing physical activity, nutritional risk, sarcopenia risk, cardiorespiratory fitness, and quality of life.
Clinical data were extracted from medical records; statistical analyses including descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations were performed.
96 patients participated; 90% had non-small cell lung cancer and 65% were at metastatic stage.
Common issues included 91% physical inactivity, 42% at nutritional risk, and 67% with low cardiorespiratory fitness.
Mean quality of life scores indicated moderate to low levels across measures; significant correlations between fitness, nutritional risk, and quality of life domains.

Abstract

direction of such changes in lung cancer patients are lacking.This study assesses lifestyle parameters and their associations with quality of life (QoL) in patients with newly diagnosed thoracic malignancies. Methods:A cross-sectional study at the University Hospital of Verona was carried out.Pts with recent thoracic cancer diagnoses completed a comprehensive survey evaluating: i) physical activity (Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire), ii) nutritional risk (NR) (NRS-2002), iii) sarcopenia risk (SARC-F), iv) cardiorespiratory fitness (FitMx tool), and v) QoL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy -Lung -FACT-L).Clinical data were extracted from medical records.Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations were used.Results: A total of 96 pts (52 males; mean age 68.8; 67% current/former smokers) were enrolled.Most had non-small cell lung cancer (90%), and a metastatic-disease stage (65%).At diagnosis, 91% were physically inactive, 42% were at nutritional risk (NR), and 67% exhibited low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF).Mean QoL scores of 55.5 12,7 for FACT-TOI, 74.8 18 for FACT-G, and 91 19.8 for FACT-L.An inverse correlation was observed between BMI and NR (rs = -0.313,p = 0.003) and CRF (rs = -0.402,p<0.001).CRF showed a moderate correlation with both FACT-TOI (rs = 0.267, p = 0.029) and FACT-L (rs = 0.273, p = 0.025).SARC-F was inversely correlated with FACT-TOI (rs = -0.396,p = 0.002), FACT-G (rs = -0.299,p = 0.019), FACT-L (rs = -0.331,p = 0.009) and CRF (rs = -0.246,p=0.042).Higher levels of physical activity post-diagnosis were moderately associated with higher levels of prediagnosis physical activity (rs = 0.355, p < 0.001). Conclusions:In newly diagnosed thoracic cancer pts, physical inactivity, low cardiorespiratory fitness, and nutritional risk were common.Cardiorespiratory fitness and sarcopenia risk measures were associated with quality of life domains key.

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