Little is known about the factors related to return to work (RTW) in patients with peri-operative lung cancer (LC). This study aimed to investigate whether pre-operative physical performance is associated with early RTW in patients with peri-operative LC. A total of 59 patients who wished to resume work after lung resection surgery were included and were divided into three groups: early RTW (within 14 days after discharge), delayed RTW (within 15–90 days), and non-RTW (failure of RTW within 90 days). The early RTW group had significantly lower scores on the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (mMRC) and significantly higher scores on the Euro Quality of Life 5-Dimension 3-Level (EQ-5D-3L) than the non-RTW group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that EQ-5D-3L scores were significantly associated with early RTW, and mMRC scores and knee extensor strength tended to be associated with early RTW. Better pre-operative quality of life, mild dyspnea, and greater lower limb muscle strength tended to be associated with early RTW in patients with peri-operative LC.
