Integrating Prehabilitation into the Cancer Survivorship Framework

Abstract

The aim of prehabilitation is to improve the physical and emotional health of patients before upcoming surgery or therapies. This mini-review focuses on current advances in urological prehabilitation and how it can be used together with enhanced recovery after surgery and conventional rehabilitation protocols. Urological prehabilitation has primarily focused on improving urinary continence, erectile function, bone density, and lean body mass, with some promising results for all of these outcomes. Although all cancer patients should be considered for prehabilitation, older or medically frail individuals may derive the greatest benefit. PATIENT SUMMARY: This mini-review discusses prehabilitation as part of the care for cancer patients. Although the research on prehabilitation is evolving, current studies generally demonstrate that it may help to enhance a patient's strength and endurance before upcoming surgery or other treatments.

Keywords: Oncology; Perioperative care; Prehabilitation; Preoperative care; Prostate cancer; Rehabilitation; Survivorship; Urology.