Relationship between the 6-Minute Walk Test and Health Related Quality of Life determined by the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey in Lung Cancer Patients during the Perioperative Period

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between exercise tolerance and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), determined by the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), in lung cancer patients during the the perioperative period. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-one patients scheduled to undergo lung cancer resection were enrolled. The patients’ results in the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), for exercise tolerance, and the SF-36, for HRQOL, were evaluated before and after lung resection surgery. The relationship between exercise tolerance and HRQOL was then retrospectively analyzed. [Results] Values of physical functioning, role physical, role emotional, bodily pain, vitality, and social functioning were lower after surgery. Furthermore, exercise tolerance was found to be correlated with physical functioning, general health, and the physical component summary. [Conclusion] 6MWT was shown to correlate with the summary of the physical component in lung cancer patients during the perioperative period.