Role of Prehabilitation in Patients Undergoing Cancer Surgeries

Role of Prehabilitation in Patients Undergoing Cancer Surgeries.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and nearly 1 in 6 deaths is due
to cancer. It accounts for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. With the advances in
diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, more number of cancer patients will undergo curative surgical procedures.

However, the mortality and morbidity rates after major oncological surgical resection are still high and range between 4%-10% and 20%-60%, respectively. These high mortality and morbidity rates
may be attributed to the patients’ physical status, combined stressful impact of
malignancy, neoadjuvant therapies, or the surgical procedure on patient during peri-operative period.

The post-operative period is not only associated with 20%-40% reduction in physiological and functional capacity, but also increased risk of post-operative complications which may have long-term effect on morbidity and mortality. In order to overcome current situation, the concept of ‘prehabilitation’ is increasingly being implemented.

“Prehabilitation” in the pre-operative period provides an option to increase the
physiologic reserve and functional capacity of the patient in order to hasten
recovery and improve outcomes recovery and improve outcomes.

Cancer prehabilitation is “a process on the cancer continuum of care, that occurs between the time of cancer diagnosis and the beginning of acute treatment and includes; physical and psychological assessments that establish a baseline functional level, identify impairments, and provide interventions that promote
physical and psychological health to reduce the incidence and/or severity of future impairments”.

Res Pract Anesthesiol Open J. 2017; 2(2): 24-28. doi: 10.17140/RPAOJ-2-112