Palliative Care as an Adjunct to Standard Pulmonary Rehabilitation: A Pathway To Improving Functional Independence & Quality of Life in a Patient With Lung Cancer

Adenocarcinoma of the lung along with malignant pleural effusion is an autonomous predictor of decreased survival, thus the main focus of the clinician should be on palliative care. In this case report, we describe chemotherapy, palliative care physiotherapy, and the necessary pulmonary rehabilitation approaches that were used for our patient. It offers a path to treatment planning, with a day-wise protocol aimed at alleviating the patient's symptoms. The patient came to the respiratory medicine department with complaints of severe cough with mucoid expectoration, breathlessness, and generalized weakness; on examination, the patient was tachypneic, tachycardic, and had grade 1 clubbing. His CT scan and chest radiography revealed wide opacity covering most of the right lung, suggesting pleural effusion. When the pleural fluid was examined, it was hemorrhagic and malignant. Thus, he was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung. A few days later, the patient was referred to a respiratory physiotherapist, who assessed him and recommended a palliative care program and pulmonary rehabilitation. On the day of assessment, the patient was evaluated using various outcome measures, the same measures were again evaluated on the day of discharge and follow-up. These outcome measures revealed significant improvements in cough severity, breathlessness, depression, anxiety, pulmonary capacities, incision site pain, weakness, and overall quality of life. Hence, it is reasonable to conclude that a well-planned pulmonary rehabilitation and palliative care program will improve the patient's respiratory, musculoskeletal, and psychological manifestations during his remaining days.