Lung Rehabilitation in Treating Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Who Are Undergoing Surgery for Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of lung cancer
* Scheduled to undergo any thoracotomy for lung cancer resection (including wedge) or VATS lobectomy or pneumonectomy for lung resection
* Diagnosis of COPD, meeting the following criteria:

  * FEV\_1/FVC \< 0.71
  * Smoking history ≥ 10 pack/years
* Presence of moderate to severe lung disease, meeting 1 of the following:

  * FEV\_1 ≤ 60% predicted\*
  * FEV\_1\< 80% predicted AND significant shortness of breath defined by a score of 2 or higher in the Medical Research Council Dyspnea Score NOTE: \*Patients with an FEV1 \< 60% predicted (most severe) and scheduled to undergo VATS segmentectomy or wedge resection will also be included.

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Able to physically utilize exercise equipment as part of rehabilitation program
* No poor motivation or likely not to participate fully in PR program
* No recent history (within the past 3 months) of a clinically-significant myocardial infarction, unstable angina, serious cardiac arrhythmia, or other serious medical condition which the attending physician performing the preoperative evaluation deems incompatible with participation in the study

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* Not specified