This study provides novel evidence that physical activity trajectories are associated with CRCI in newly diagnosed lung cancer patients: consistently high and declining-from-high activity trajectories were linked to markedly lower CRCI risk than consistently low activity.
Objective cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) was common among newly diagnosed NSCLC patients over six months.
Three distinct physical activity trajectories were identified in the cohort.
Consistently high and declining physical activity trajectories were associated with substantially lower CRCI risk than consistently low activity.
Consistently high physical activity was correlated with better objective and subjective cognitive performance.
Lower baseline perceived cognitive function and lower self-efficacy for exercise predicted CRCI.
This study followed 327 people in Hong Kong who had just been diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, checking their thinking abilities with a brief cognitive test and a self-report questionnaire every month for six months. Roughly 17.5% to 29.1% showed measurable cognitive impairment at different points, and about 24% were affected at six months. The researchers also grouped patients by how their physical activity changed over time. About 43% stayed consistently low in activity, 12% stayed consistently high, and 45% began with high activity that declined to moderate. Compared with the consistently low group, the consistently high and the declining groups had far lower odds of cognitive impairment (93.8% and 85.9% lower, respectively). The consistently high group also did better on both tested and self-reported thinking measures. Patients who rated their own thinking lower at the start, or who had less confidence in their ability to exercise, were more likely to develop impairment. This research suggests that staying physically active may be linked to better cognitive health after a lung cancer diagnosis, and that exercise confidence and early self-perceived cognitive problems could help identify people at risk. Because this was an observational study, it shows association rather than proving that activity prevents cognitive decline.
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Upload Your LabsHo M, Vardy J, Lin Y, Chan W, Takemura N, Wang L, et al.. (2026). Prevalence, predictive factors, and the influential role of physical activity trajectories of cancer-related cognitive impairment among patients newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer.. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-026-11368-5