Prehabilitation to enhance perioperative care

Abstract

Patients who are elderly, malnourished, anxious, and have a low physical function before surgery are likely to have suboptimal recovery from cancer surgery. A multimodal prehabilitation program is proposed, consisting of exercise training and nutritional and psychological support, which increases physiologic reserve before the stress of surgery. This interventional approach seems to improve ability to undergo the stress of surgery and faster recovery. The integration of exercise, adequate nutrition, and psychosocial components, with medical and pharmacologic optimization in the presurgical period, deserves to receive more attention by clinicians to elucidate the most effective interventions.

Keywords: Cancer; Elderly; Exercise; Nutrition; Prehabilitation; Surgery.