A team of researchers from Chongqing Medical University and Sichuan Cancer Center conducted the study and presented their findings during the 2026 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Seoul, South Korea.
Investigators explained that their study aimed to analyze the “associations with symptom burden and functional recovery over one year after lung resection,” as diabetes is a “common comorbidity” experienced by patients with lung cancer undergoing surgery.
A total of 3,538 patients “who underwent lung resection between April 2021 and June 2025” comprised the prospective cohort from which investigators collected data. Investigators highlighted that patient-reported outcome information was gathered and analyzed via the Perioperative Symptom Assessment for Lung Surgery instrument and that follow-ups with patients were performed “up to one year after discharge.”
Furthermore, investigators explained the process of stratification for patients with diabetes, which was “based on the mean values of all available fasting blood glucose and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose measurements obtained within three days prior to surgery, dividing them into good and poor glycemic control groups.”
They also performed propensity score matching to “balance baseline characteristics between diabetic and non-diabetic patients.”
Methods that were used to analyze the data included generalized estimating equations and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log-rank tests, which evaluated postoperative symptom trajectories and functional impairments and compared “recovery time distributions between groups,” respectively.
A total of 444 patients without diabetes and 223 patients with diabetes were included in the study cohort. The results revealed that patients with diabetes experienced “significantly longer recovery times from fatigue (median 7 vs. 6 days, P=0.023) and activity limitation (26 vs. 15 days, P=0.012).”
From 2 months to 1 year after discharge from the hospital, investigators reported “significant group-by-time interactions were observed for cough (P=0.026), fatigue (P=0.018), and activity limitation (P=0.014).”
The findings demonstrated that patients with diabetes experienced higher symptom burden and longer recovery after surgery than patients without diabetes. According to the results, “poor preoperative glycemic control” correlated with increased recovery times due to factors such as “disturbed sleep (11 vs. 6 days, P=0.023), walking difficulty (49 vs. 12 days, P=0.020), and activity limitation (63 vs. 12 days, P=0.001). “
In addition, within 1 month after discharge, investigators observed “significant group-by-time interactions” for factors such as “pain (P=0.008) and walking difficulty (P=0.032) during hospitalization, and for cough (P=0.006).”
In reflecting on the findings, investigators explained that proper glycemic control correlated with postoperative symptom burden and “functional recovery,” as patients with poor glycemic control before surgery experienced delays in recovery and increased symptom burden.
“Standardized preoperative glycemic intervention for diabetic patients scheduled for lung resection may improve their mid-to long-term symptom and functional outcomes, providing important clinical evidence for perioperative management in this population,” they concluded.