Presenter Profile: Morten Quist, PhD
Associate Professor at the Copenhagen University and a Physiotherapist Clinician-Researcher at the University Hospital of Copenhagen
ILCN: What is your presentation about?
Dr. Quist: My presentation focuses on the scientific rationale for why individuals with lung cancer should be physically active. During the past two decades, evidence has grown substantially, showing that appropriately prescribed exercise is safe, feasible, and beneficial across the disease trajectory—from diagnosis and treatment to survivorship and advanced disease.
I will discuss how exercise can improve physical function, reduce symptoms, enhance quality of life, support treatment tolerance, and help patients maintain independence. Most importantly, I will highlight why exercise should be considered an integral part of modern lung cancer care rather than an optional add-on.
Allied Health Awareness Moment: Exercise in Lung Cancer Care
Tuesday, September 15, at 11:00 KST • Auditorium, 3F
Morten Quist, PhD, will emphasize the importance of exercise in modern lung cancer care, rather than just as an optional add-on. LEARN MORE
ILCN: Why is this topic timely or important in 2026?
Dr. Quist: Lung cancer treatment has advanced rapidly, with more patients living longer due to earlier diagnosis and more effective therapies. At the same time, many people with advanced lung cancer are living for years while receiving palliative systemic treatment.
Across the disease trajectory, maintaining physical function, reducing treatment-related side effects, and preserving quality of life have become increasingly important. We now have strong evidence that exercise benefits patients receiving both curative and palliative treatments. The next challenge is implementation—ensuring that every patient has access to evidence-based exercise as part of routine clinical care.
ILCN: How do you envision your work in this area benefiting future clinical strategies or patient care?
Dr. Quist: I hope our research helps move exercise from research settings into everyday clinical practice. Achieving this requires close collaboration across disciplines, practical models that fit different healthcare systems, and continued research to optimize exercise for different patient groups.
Importantly, exercise remains the most effective intervention for preserving and building muscle mass, maintaining physical function, and counteracting functional decline during and after cancer treatment. Despite remarkable advances in systemic therapies, no pharmacological treatment has demonstrated comparable effectiveness in maintaining patients’ physical capacity and independence.
That is why exercise should not be viewed merely as supportive care—it should be implemented as a fundamental component of standard lung cancer treatment, improving outcomes, quality of life, and treatment tolerance while supporting more personalized care.
ILCN: What are you most looking forward to at the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC)?
Dr. Quist: WCLC is where the global thoracic oncology community comes together, making it a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, build collaborations, and shape the future of lung cancer care. This year, I am especially excited that we are officially launching IREX-Lung (International Research and Exercise in Lung Cancer), with our first symposium taking place just before the conference.
IREX-Lung is currently a subcommittee within the IASLC Nurses and Allied Health Committee, and our ambition is to develop it into an independent committee dedicated to advancing research, education, and international collaboration in exercise and lung cancer. I also look forward to seeing the continued recognition of nurses and allied health professionals as essential members of the multidisciplinary team and to learning from colleagues across all disciplines.
ILCN: What do you hope the audience will take away from your presentation?
Dr. Quist: I hope the audience leaves with one simple message: exercise is an essential component of high-quality lung cancer care. We now have evidence supporting its use.
The next step is ensuring that exercise becomes accessible to all individuals with lung cancer, regardless of where they receive treatment. Even small changes in clinical practice can make a meaningful difference for patients, and every member of the multidisciplinary team has a role to play in making this happen.
