OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a combined hospital plus home exercise programme following curative surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Inpatient hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and thirty-one subjects with NSCLC admitted for curative surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomised to usual care or a hospital plus home exercise programme. OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was the between-group difference in physical activity 4 weeks after surgery. Secondary outcomes were the difference in quadriceps strength, exercise tolerance and quality of life (Short Form-36 (SF-36) and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-LC13) from pre-operatively (baseline) to 4 weeks after surgery. RESULTS: The participants (n = 131) had a mean age of 68 (standard deviation (SD) 11) years and mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second of 2.4 (1.1) l. There were no significant differences in physical activity between the groups 4 weeks after surgery (mean difference adjusted for baseline 12 minutes/day, 95% confidence interval (CI) -20.2 to 44.1). In addition, there were no significant differences in total SF-36 or EORTC QLQ-LC13 scores from baseline to 4 weeks after surgery. Both groups had recovered their pre-operative walking distance 4 weeks after surgery, and there were no differences between the groups (mean difference in Incremental Shuttle Walk Test from baseline to 4 weeks after surgery (-26 m, 95% CI -94.2 to 42.3). CONCLUSIONS: A hospital plus home exercise programme showed little benefit in unselected patients with NSCLC following surgery. Regardless of group allocation, the patients had recovered their pre-operative exercise tolerance levels by 4 weeks after surgery. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: ISRCTN07216922; UKCRN ID 9285.

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