Feasibility and effectiveness of preoperative exercise therapy for patients with breast, colorectal and prostate cancer in the Grampians region of Victoria: randomized-controlled trial.

Abstract

Background

Exercise therapy for optimal perioperative cancer care has focused almost entirely on post-operative exercise regimens. Pre-operative exercise training, termed ‘Prehabilitation’ leverages the window between diagnosis and surgery, with potential to further optimize perioperative outcomes by conditioning patients for scheduled surgical procedures

Objectives/Aims

To determine the effectiveness of pre-operative aerobic exercise training to induce clinically relevant improvements in ventilatory threshold (VT), surgical outcomes and immune biomarkers in breast, colorectal and prostate cancer patients requiring surgery compared with usual care. Method

New breast, colorectal and prostate cancer diagnoses are screened for eligibility before being randomized (n=60: 6 months) to Prehabilitation or Normal-care, before functional exercise test and blood (antigens, chemokines, inflammation) sampling (i) on diagnosis (ii) 48hr before surgery (iii) 30 days post-surgery. Data analysis will be conducted using SPSS version 24.0 and Stata/IC statistical software. Analysis of biochemical samples will employ a principle component method (Factor analysis for mixed data), and multiple linear regression will be employed to compare continuous and phenotypic characteristics in each participant group.

Results

CONSORT compliant, retrospectively registered trial ACTRN12619000214134 is currently underway at Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre, now enrolling recent diagnoses breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. Implications/Outcomes for Planned Research Project

Findings from this study will be used to establish feasibility and effectiveness of prehabilitation exercise which will be used guide the development of regionally relevant best practice care for cancer patients requiring surgery.