Pre-operative impact of multimodal prehabilitation in gynecologic oncology patients

Multimodal prehabilitation is a multi-disciplinary program that includes exercise, nutrition, and psychological intervention before surgery to improve pre-operative functional capacity. This study aims to assess the impact of a prehabilitation program on the pre-operative functional status of gynecologic oncology patients.

This single-center, prospective observational study included all consecutive patients diagnosed with gynecologic cancer who were scheduled for surgery and enrolled in a structured prehabilitation program from January 2018 to May 2024. Only patients with both baseline and pre-operative evaluations were included. Functional status data were compared before (baseline) and after (pre-operative) the prehabilitation intervention. The primary outcome measured was functional capacity, as determined by the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Secondary outcomes included hand grip strength, the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) score, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score. The type of training and adherence were also evaluated.

A total of 77 patients underwent both baseline and pre-operative evaluation at the prehabilitation unit. The median duration of the program was 25.2 days (range; 9-63). Significant pre-operative improvements were observed in 6MWT (baseline: 435.7 m, standard deviation [SD] = 115.9 vs pre-operative: 455.7 m, SD = 118.9, p < .001), hand grip strength (baseline: 19.0 kg, SD = 5.5 vs pre-operative: 20.4 kg, SD = 5.9, p = .012), MUST score (baseline MUST ≥2 in 14.3% patients vs pre-operative 3.9%, p = .03), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score (baseline anxiety score: 7.4, SD = 4.3 vs pre-operative: 6.3, SD = 3.6, p < .001; and baseline depression score: 5.5, SD = 4.2 vs pre-operative: 4.3, SD = 3.6, p < .001). Among the different training programs, patients participating in supervised CrossFit training showed greater improvement in the 6MWT (33.4 m), compared to the hospital-supervised group (27.1 m), and the non-supervised home training group (14.0 m).

A structured multimodal prehabilitation program improves pre-operative functional capacity in gynecologic oncology patients, with the greatest improvements seen in those who participated in supervised high-intensity training, such as CrossFit.