Multimodal Prehabilitation In Pancreatic cancer Patients undergoing surgery (PIPS): study protocol for a randomized...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Pancreatic cancer surgery has high complication rates (up to 70%), impacting recovery and quality of life.
• Preoperative factors like low functional capacity and malnutrition are linked to worse surgical outcomes.
• Older, frail patients often undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy, necessitating preoperative optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a multimodal prehabilitation program's impact on postoperative complications and recovery after pancreatectomy.
• To assess the program's effects on functional capacity, nutritional status, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Main Methods:

• A single-center, randomized controlled trial comparing a 4-6 week prehabilitation program (physical, nutritional, psychological) with usual care.
• Primary outcome: severity of postoperative complications (Comprehensive Complication Index - CCI®).
• Secondary outcomes: functional capacity, recovery time, length of stay, body composition, HRQoL. Sample size: 238 patients.

Main Results:

• This section is not available in the provided abstract.
• This section is not available in the provided abstract.
• This section is not available in the provided abstract.

Conclusions:

• Prehabilitation may improve functional capacity, nutrition, and skeletal muscle mass, shifting patients to an anabolic state.
• This strategy could reduce postoperative complications, shorten hospital stays, and accelerate HRQoL recovery.
• Positive results could be practice-changing and inform future guidelines for pancreatic surgery patients.