RESUMEN

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of prehabilitation on the perioperative functional capacity of patients awaiting oncological resections. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist and within the databases Cochrane Library, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, MEDLINE PubMed, and Web of Science. The eligibility criteria were set to include peer-reviewed randomised control trials including only adult (≥ 18 years old) patients undergoing any type of prehabilitation (PREHAB) prior to any type of oncological resection. The studies had to feature at least one control group undergoing standard care (SC) and had to assess functional capacity by means of a 6-min walk distance (6MWD) or peak oxygen uptake (VO2Peak) at different stages pre- and post- operatively. RESULTS: Twenty-seven randomised controlled trials involving 1994 patients were included. After processing the data, the number of patients was 1889. Studies featured different cancer specialties: lung (11), colorectal (5), urological (4), abdominal (3), esophagogastric (2), liver (1), and gastrointestinal (1). Overall, PREHAB enhanced both 6MWD (g = 0.273, 95% CI 0.174 to 0.371, Z = 5.406, p < 0.001) and VO2Peak (g = 0.615, 95% CI 0.243 to 0.987, Z = 3.240, p = 0.001) compared with SC. The 6MWD subgroup analysis revealed a small mean effect size favouring both unimodal and multimodal PREHAB interventions. CONCLUSION: These findings support that prehabilitation, whether implemented as unimodal or multimodal format, elicits small preoperative improvements in functional capacity in patients awaiting oncological resections. PROSPERO registration number CRD42023428676.

Asunto(s)

Neoplasias , Ejercicio Preoperatorio , Ensayos Clínicos Controlados Aleatorios como Asunto , Humanos , Neoplasias/cirugía , Neoplasias/rehabilitación , Cuidados Preoperatorios/métodos , Consumo de Oxígeno

RESUMEN

Surgical prehabilitation aims to optimise patients' physiological reserves to better withstand the stress of surgery, reduce the risk of postoperative complications, and promote a faster and optimal recovery. The purpose of this commentary is to outline the key aspects of prehabilitation before surgery for cancer which seem to impact its effectiveness and wider implementation. Particular attention is paid to the role and integration of resistance training programmes as a key component of multimodal prehabilitation for patients with cancer. We firstly analyse some of the barriers currently hindering the implementation of prehabilitation programmes in the National Health Service (United Kingdom). Later, we describe essential aspects of resistance training design, such as exercise modality and order execution, volume and intensity, rest periods between sets or exercises, and workout frequency. Furthermore, we propose a methodology to use the perception of effort to control patients' progression during a prehabilitation programme.