The Effectiveness of Prehabilitation Prior to Surgical Resection in Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

Background and/or Objectives: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide with surgery being the primary treatment for it.​ Prehabilitation is a fast-growing area of research and healthcare that can provide perioperative benefits to patients with colorectal cancer.​ The objective of this systematic review is to examine the effectiveness of a prehabilitation program on functional capacity in patients with colorectal cancer undergoing surgical resection.

Design: A systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, and Ovid databases was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Included studies were English language randomized controlled trials that assessed the effects of multimodal prehabilitation programs on functional capacity of colorectal cancer patients.

Setting : Virtual

Participants : Patients with colorectal cancer who participated in a multimodal prehabilitation program.

Interventions: Papers reporting on multimodal prehabilitation programs that include preoperative exercise as a component of the intervention.

Main Outcome Measures: Change in functional capacity

Results: This systematic review demonstrated improvement in functional capacity as measured by metrics such as the 6-minute walk test and CPET in the prehabilitation group compared to control. The studies included focused on multimodal prehab programs including preoperative exercise, nutrition interventions, and psychological interventions. Multimodal prehabilitation can improve functional outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer whose main treatment option is surgery.

Conclusions: This review highlighted that prehabilitation has a promising role in increasing functional capacity for colorectal cancer patients undergoing surgery. Variability in study design and implementation challenges underscore the need for standardized protocols and further research studies.