Objective
To assess the impact of a “one-stop”, multi-modal, hospital-associated-home-based prehabilitation model, helmed by a small core team, on newly diagnosed gastrointestinal and urological cancer patients planned for surgery.
Methods
This is a retrospective study in a tertiary public hospital, involving all newly diagnosed gastrointestinal and urological cancer patients planned for surgery. The primary outcome measure was the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Other outcomes included physical, psychological and quality-of-life measures, and patient satisfaction surveys, taken at baseline, pre-operatively (post-prehabilitation), and at 3 months post-operatively.
Results
When comparing the baseline to pre-operatively (post-prehabilitation), there was a statistically significant improvement in the 6MWT (21.52 m, p<0.001), 30-Second Sit to Stand test (STS) (1.08 repetitions, p<0.001), Timed Up and Go test (TUG) (0.83 seconds, p=0.014) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (total score 1.77, p<0.001). These were sustained (6MWT: 0.22, p=0.964; STS: 0.08 repetitions, p=0.863; TUG: 0.04 seconds, p=0.939) or further improved (HADS total score 2.06, p=0.003) at 3 months post-operatively. There was also a statistically significant improvement in the EuroQol-5 dimension health score (health-related quality-of-life measure) from baseline to 3 months post-operatively (7.04 points, p=0.001), with more than 90% overall patient satisfaction reported.
Conclusion
Prehabilitation applied via our model resulted in significant improvements in functional capacity, psychological and quality-of-life outcomes, sustained at 3 months post-operatively, and is a feasible and effective approach that is well-received by our patients.

Citations

• Feasibility, User Acceptance, and Outcomes of Using a Cancer Prehabilitation App for Exercise: Pilot Cohort Study
  Fuquan Zhang, Deepali Bang, Christine Alejandro Visperas, Mon Hnin Tun, San San Tay
  JMIR Formative Research.2025; 9: e64427.     CrossRef
• Participation and Adherence to Prehabilitation Programs for Colorectal Cancer
  Misha A. T. Sier, Eva Godina, Omar Mollema, Maud P. P. J. Cox, Thais T. T. Tweed, Jan Willem Greve, Jan H. M. B. Stoot
  Nutrients.2025; 17(11): 1792.     CrossRef
• Measures of preoperative anxiety: Part two
  Katarzyna Nowicka-Sauer, Adam Zemła, Dorota Banaszkiewicz, Bartosz G. Trzeciak, Krzysztof Jarmoszewicz
  Anaesthesiology Intensive Therapy.2024; 56(1): 9.     CrossRef
• Prevention and treatment of noncognitive complications
  André van Zundert, Stephen P. Gatt, Tom Christophe van Zundert
  Saudi Journal of Anaesthesia.2023; 17(4): 557.     CrossRef