Background Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. The role of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with inoperable advanced lung cancer remains less defined due to disease severity and poor prognosis. This scoping review aims to map the characteristics, implementation methods, outcome metrics, and effectiveness of PR in this specific population. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane, and OpenGrey databases up to October 2025, following JBI guidelines and the PRISMA‐ScR checklist. Randomized controlled trials and nonrandomized intervention studies focusing on PR for patients with advanced lung cancer were included. The literature was screened and selected according to the PICOS framework, after which data were extracted and organized from the included studies and finally integrated using a narrative synthesis approach. Results Thirty‐two studies involving 1979 patients were included. Interventions were predominantly hospital‐based, and core components included aerobic and resistance training. The intervention period ranged from 2 to 12 weeks, with the intensity primarily being moderate to high. Significant improvements were consistently reported in exercise capacity, muscle strength, and symptom burden. However, evidence regarding lung function and health‐related quality of life remained heterogeneous. Completion rates varied from 44% to 100%, with disease progression being a primary barrier to adherence. None of the studies reported any serious adverse events. Conclusions PR is a safe and feasible intervention for patients with advanced lung cancer, offering clear benefits in terms of physical function and symptom management. However, maintaining high adherence remains a challenge. Future research should further explore home‐based intervention models assisted by digital rehabilitation technologies and actively promote the integration of PR into multidisciplinary palliative care pathways.
Yi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.