Symptom and functional recovery monitoring in thoracic surgery

Curative-intent surgery is the treatment of choice for thoracic malignancies, including lung cancer. There is significant complexity and uncertainty associated with the diagnosis, prognosis, and surgical treatment decision-making in thoracic surgery. From a patient point of view, this complexity and uncertainty can be overwhelming. Therefore, for high-quality cancer care, an emphasis on patient-centered care—including the improvement in quality of life (QOL) through symptom and functional monitoring—is essential. Using the current literature and our previous research, the purpose of this paper is to: (I) review the current evidence on symptom and functional monitoring in surgery; (II) describe strategies to monitor symptoms and functional recovery in surgery; and (III) describe a model of patient-centered care in thoracic surgery.