"No… Nobody told me anything about that": a qualitative study on pretreatment knowledge of individuals with lung or head and neck cancer regarding the disease, treatments, and physical exercise.
Duarte I, da Silva Souza K, et al. • Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer • 2026
Individuals with lung or head and neck cancer, prior to treatment initiation, show limited knowledge about their disease, prescribed therapies, expected symptoms, and the role of physical exercise, but expressed willingness to participate in exercise if recommended.
Key Findings
Results
Participants with lung or head and neck cancer had limited knowledge about their disease, prescribed therapies, and expected symptoms before treatment began.
14 individuals were interviewed (age, 66 [53-70] years; head and neck cancer, 8 (57%); males, 10 (71%)).
Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted up to 1 week before treatment initiation, recorded, and transcribed verbatim.
The theme 'general knowledge' was one of five overarching themes identified; the title quote ('No... Nobody told me anything about that') reflects participants' reported lack of information.
Results
Participants had minimal understanding of the role of physical exercise in cancer care and of what exercise programs entail.
'Perceptions about physical exercise in cancer' was one of the five overarching themes.
The authors conclude participants showed limited knowledge of the role of physical exercise as an adjunct intervention.
Conclusions
Despite limited knowledge about exercise, participants expressed willingness to participate in exercise programs if recommended.
This willingness was reported even though participants had minimal understanding of what exercise programs involve.
The finding came from the theme on perceptions about physical exercise in cancer.
Results
Thematic analysis identified five overarching themes and 13 subthemes in the interview data.
Themes: (1) general knowledge; (2) expectations during the cancer treatment; (3) perceptions about physical exercise in cancer; (4) third-party support; and (5) context of the diagnosis.
Analysis followed Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis approach.
Data collection continued until thematic saturation.
Results
Third-party support and the context in which the diagnosis occurred emerged as themes shaping participants' pretreatment experience.
'Third-party support' and 'context of the diagnosis' were two of the five overarching themes.
Participants also expressed expectations about the upcoming cancer treatment as a separate theme.
What This Means
This study interviewed 14 people with lung or head and neck cancer about a week before they started treatment. The researchers asked what they knew about their disease, the treatments planned, the symptoms they might experience, and whether exercise could help. The interviews were analyzed to find common themes.
The main finding was that people knew little about these topics before treatment began. Many said nobody had told them much. They also had little understanding of what exercise programs for people with cancer involve. However, they said they would be willing to take part in exercise if it were recommended. Other themes involved what they expected from treatment, the support they received from other people, and the circumstances in which they were diagnosed.
This research suggests there may be a gap in the information patients receive before cancer treatment, including about exercise, which can reduce treatment side effects. Better pre-treatment education and clear recommendations might help patients engage with exercise. Because the study was small and qualitative, it describes experiences of these participants rather than measuring how common such gaps are.
Check Your Own Numbers
Upload your bloodwork. We'll cross-reference your results against this study and 4,700 others.
Duarte I, da Silva Souza K, Moliterno A, Borges P, Pedroso M, Grigoletto I, et al.. (2026). "No… Nobody told me anything about that": a qualitative study on pretreatment knowledge of individuals with lung or head and neck cancer regarding the disease, treatments, and physical exercise.. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-026-11407-1