Effects of Exercise-Based Prehabilitation on Functional Capacity in Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery: A Network...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Exercise Physiology
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Gastrointestinal cancer surgery often leads to decreased postoperative functional capacity.
• Prehabilitation programs, including exercise, are explored to mitigate these effects.
• Comparing facility-based versus home-based exercise prehabilitation is crucial for optimizing patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of facility-based and home-based exercise prehabilitation.
• To evaluate the impact on postoperative functional capacity and outcomes in gastrointestinal cancer surgery patients.
• To conduct a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
• Included studies focused on exercise-based prehabilitation for gastrointestinal cancer surgery.
• Compared facility-based and home-based interventions using random-effects models; assessed evidence certainty with CINeMA.

Main Results:

• Nine randomized controlled trials were included in the analysis.
• Exercise prehabilitation significantly improved postoperative functional capacity versus control (MD = 26.10 m).
• Facility-based prehabilitation showed significant improvement (MD = 24.11 m), while home-based did not (MD = 32.12 m).

Conclusions:

• Exercise prehabilitation is a potentially effective strategy for improving postoperative functional capacity in gastrointestinal cancer surgery.
• Facility-based exercise prehabilitation demonstrates more consistent and statistically significant benefits compared to home-based programs.
• Further research may refine optimal prehabilitation protocols for this patient population.