Effectiveness of Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises on Cardiopulmonary Endurance and Perceived Exertion in Patients with Pulmonary Cancer: A Quasi-experimental Study

Introduction: Lung cancer contributes to the worsening of a patient’s respiratory condition by causing cardiopulmonary fatigue and increasing the effort to perform tasks. Supportive care includes exercises for the diaphragm like Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises (DBE) to alleviate some of these symptoms. Aim: The present study investigates the efficacy of DBE in improving cardiopulmonary endurance measured by maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and reducing Perceived Exertion (PE) by using Borg Scale in patients with stage II and III lung cancer. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted as a pre-post quasi-experimental design in collaboration with City Cancer Hospital, Vijayawada; Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India and other regional cancer centres for a period of one year from June 2023-May 2024, with a sample of 35 patients with lung cancer (stage II: n=16; stage III: n=19) from cancer hospitals in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. The patients underwent guided DBE training four times a day for five days a week. The study measured VO2 max for cardiopulmonary endurance and the modified Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) for exertion. The descriptive statistics were summarised for the demographic variables and the pre- and post-intervention changes within and between groups were assessed using Student’s t-test with statistical significance set at p-value