Establishing Pain Thresholds for Functional Recovery After Lung Cancer Surgery: A Mediation Analysis of the Surgery-Pain-Functioning Causal Pathway.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Pain is one of the most common and long-lasting symptoms after lung cancer surgery, potentially impairing physical functioning. This study aims to investigate to what extent pain mediates the association between the different surgical approaches (single-port VATS versus multiport VATS or thoracotomy) and postoperative functional recovery after lung cancer surgery, with the goal of establishing clinically actionable pain score thresholds.

Methods

In a prospective cohort study including 1381 patients, pain and functional status (activity limitation and walking difficulty) were assessed daily in hospital with the Perioperative Symptom Assessment for Lung Surgery (PSA-Lung). The structural equation model (SEM) was used to investigate the mediation effect of pain in the

SUBMITTER: Ma P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12680459 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature