Investigating the experiences, thoughts, and feelings underlying and influencing prehabilitation among cancer patients: a qualitative perspective on the what, when, where, who, and why

'I was eager to do anything I could to improve the situation': a qualitative study of patients' experiences and views of prehabilitation for ovarian cancer surgery

BACKGROUND

Prehabilitation has shown promise in improving post-operative outcomes for several solid tumour groups. However, prehabilitation programmes are not widely established. Patients with advanced ovarian cancer experience life changing debulking surgery and could benefit from prehabilitation. This study aims to explore the views, experiences, facilitators and barriers surrounding prehabilitation in a demographically diverse cohort of advanced ovarian cancer patients. This would help to inform an acceptable patient-centred working programme model for a diverse group of patients.

METHODS

Purposive, maximum variation sampling was used to recruit a diverse sample of women, due to undergo or following primary debulking surgery for advanced ovarian cancer, from two cancer centres in London. Semi-structured interviews were either conducted face to face or by telephone. All recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-one participants were interviewed. Twelve were prehabilitation 'naïve' and nine had participated in the Marsden Integrated Lifestyle and Exercise programme (MILE). The age range was 46-76 years and 8/21 participants were of Black, Asian or Mixed heritage. Factors influencing engagement with prehabilitation can be categorised under four major emerging themes [1] Mindset [2] Actual preparation [3] Support system [4] Delivery of prehabilitation.

CONCLUSION

Patients with ovarian cancer welcome the concept of prehabilitation, however a blanket approach is not suitable to meet the needs of a demographically diverse cohort. The components of prehabilitation must be tailored to individual needs, with attention to existing mindset and support systems, building on preparations that women are already making for surgery and offering flexible delivery options.

Multimodal Prehabilitation for Gynecologic Cancer Surgery

Surgical treatment is commonly employed to treat patients with gynecologic cancer, although surgery itself may function as a stressor, reducing the patients' functional capacity and recovery. Prehabilitation programs attempt to improve patients' overall health and baseline function prior to surgery, thereby enhancing recovery and lowering morbidity. In recent years, prehabilitation has come to primarily refer to multimodal programs that combine physical activity, nutritional support, psychological well-being, and other medical interventions. However, the specific methods of implementing prehabilitation and measuring its effectiveness are heterogeneous. Moreover, high-level evidence regarding prehabilitation in gynecologic cancer surgery is limited. This review provides a summary of multimodal prehabilitation studies in gynecologic oncologic surgery. Enhanced postoperative recovery, lower postoperative complications, lower rate of blood transfusions, and faster gastrointestinal functional recovery have been reported after multimodal prehabilitation interventions. Patients and healthcare professionals should recognize the importance of prehabilitation in the field of gynecologic oncologic treatment, based on the emerging evidence. In addition, there is a need to establish an appropriate target group and construct a well-designed and tailored prehabilitation program.

Starting a surgical prehabilitation program: results from a pragmatic nonrandomized feasibility study

PURPOSE

We sought to assess the feasibility and estimate the effects on outcomes of a multimodal prehabilitation service implemented as an ancillary surgical service.

METHODS

We conducted a pragmatic, nonrandomized feasibility study of surgical prehabilitation. Patients were eligible if they were ≥ 18 yr of age, fluent in English, and referred by a health professional for prehabilitation. Participants received an individualized program of preoperative exercise, nutrition, psychological, and/or smoking cessation support. The primary outcome was operational feasibility, including referral volume, enrolment rate, prehabilitation window, engagement, completion rate, and safety. Secondary outcomes included surgical complications, length of hospital stay, readmission, quality of life, and physical and mental health. Qualitative data related to intervention feasibility and acceptability. We compared intervention participants with patients who were referred for, but declined, prehabilitation.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixteen patients were referred for prehabilitation. The mean age of referred patients was 71 yr and 55% were male. Over 90% of referrals were from surgical oncology, and the most common indication for referral was frailty (46%). Of the 116 referred patients, 83 consented to participate in the study. Patient-reported and objectively measured outcomes improved by a clinically important margin from baseline to presurgery, and returned to presurgery levels by 90 days postoperatively. Qualitative findings suggest that the prehabilitation intervention was well received.

CONCLUSION

Multimodal surgical prehabilitation is feasible as an integrated clinical service and may be effective for improving physical and psychological outcomes. Further evaluations of clinically integrated prehabilitation programs in Canada are needed to confirm these findings.

Multimodal prehabilitation to enhance functional capacity of patients with esophageal cancer during concurrent neoadjuvant chemotherapies-a randomized feasibility trial

Esophageal adenocarcinoma continues to bear high morbidity and mortality. Prehabilitation, using exercise, nutrition, and psychosocial strategies to optimize patients prior to surgical resection, is largely underexplored in this malignancy, especially in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Objectives of this study were (i) to determine feasibility of prehabilitation during treatment in patients with esophageal cancer and (ii) to establish differences between hospital and home-based exercise. Patients were recruited from August 2019 - February 2023 and blindly randomized to either supervised or homebased exercise, receiving identical nutritional and psychosocial support. The main outcome measures were recruitment, retention, and dropout rates. The secondary outcomes included cardiorespiratory fitness, functional capacity, and quality of life. Forty-four subjects were blindly randomized: 23 to supervised exercise and 21 to home-based exercise (72% recruitment rate). Overall compliance for the supervised group was 72%; home-based group was 77%. Baseline to pre-operative, both groups experienced significant increases in sit-to-stand, arm curls, and amount of weekly moderate-vigorous physical activity. The home-based group experienced an additional considerable decrease in up-and-go test times. Both groups maintained cardiorespiratory fitness and saw substantial increases in some quality-of-life scores. Multimodal prehabilitation is feasible for patients with esophageal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In both groups, patient fitness, which is relevant for this patient population given the anticipated decline in functional status during this period, was maintained. This study provides a foundation for future prehabilitation interventions in this patient population.

Study of the significance of the combination of the fibrinogen-albumin ratio and sarcopenia in predicting the prognosis of laryngeal cancer patients undergoing radical surgery

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate how the impact of preoperative sarcopenia and inflammatory markers for laryngeal cancer patients and develop a new scoring system to predict their prognosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients who underwent laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer (LC) from December 2015 to December 2020 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University were included. Independent prognostic factors were determined using univariate and multivariate analyses. A new scoring system (SFAR) was established based on FAR and preoperative sarcopenia, and statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

198 cases included in this study that met the admission criteria. Multivariate analysis shown that preoperative sarcopenia, pTNM stage, and FAR were independent prognostic factors for laryngeal cancer. Based on these three indicators, we developed the SFAR scoring system. Multivariate analysis showed that SFAR was an independent predictor of laryngeal cancer (p < 0.001). SFAR was then incorporated into a prognostic model that included T-stage and N-stage, and a column-line graph was generated to accurately predict its survival.

CONCLUSION

Systemic inflammation and sarcopenia are significantly associated with postoperative prognosis in laryngeal cancer. A new scoring system (SFAR) had implications for improving the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery for laryngeal cancer.

Experiences of Patients with Breast Cancer Participating in a Prehabilitation Program: A Qualitative Study

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer diagnosis among women worldwide. Several randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews have shown the benefits of exercise before, during, and after cancer treatment to manage side effects related to cancer and its therapies. However, these are poorly implemented across the disease-span, specifically, during the preoperative setting. Methods: Patients diagnosed with BC and participating in a randomized controlled trial on the effects of a prehabilitation program based on Nordic walking, muscle strengthening, and therapeutic education were invited to participate in this qualitative substudy. Two groups of eight patients each were recorded, transcript and analyzed using a specialized software (Atlas-Ti®, version 24). Results: During the axial codification phase, 22 unique codes and 6 main themes were identified related to their experience with the program, namely, (1) information received prior to participating; (2) motivation to participate; (3) barriers; (4) facilitators; (5) perceived degree of support from healthcare workers as well as peers; and (6) satisfaction with the characteristics of the prehabilitation program. Conclusions: Patients interviewed showed great interest in prehabilitation as a way to prepare both physically and mentally for surgery. In order to implement these interventions, healthcare systems need to acknowledge barriers and facilitators as well as the need for these programs to be supervised and monitored to avoid adverse events.

Prehabilitation of surgical patients: a bibliometric analysis from 2005 to 2023

BACKGROUND

Good preoperative conditions help patients to counteract surgical injury. Prehabilitation is a multimodal preoperative management strategy, including physical, nutritional, psychological, and other interventions, which can improve the functional reserve of patients and enhance postoperative recovery. The purpose of this study is to show the evolution trend and future directions of research related to the prehabilitation of surgical patients.

METHODS

The global literature regarding prehabilitation was identified from The Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric methods of the Bibliometrix package of R (version 4.2.1) and VOSviewer were used to analyze publication trends, cooperative networks, study themes, and co-citation relationships in the field.

RESULTS

A total of 638 publications were included and the number of publications increased rapidly since 2016, with an average annual growth rate of 41.0%. "Annals of Surgery", "British Journal of Surgery" and "British Journal of Anesthesia" were the most cited journals. Experts from the USA, Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands contributed the most in this field, and an initial cooperative network among different countries and clinical teams was formed. Malnutrition, older patients, frailty, and high-risk patients were the hotspots of recent studies. However, among the top 10 cited articles, the clinical effects of prehabilitation were conflicting.

CONCLUSION

This bibliometric review summarized the most influential publications as well as the publication trends and clarified the progress and future directions of prehabilitation, which could serve as a guide for developing evidence-based practices.

Access, acceptance and adherence to cancer prehabilitation: a mixed-methods systematic review

PURPOSE

The purpose of this systematic review is to better understand access to, acceptance of and adherence to cancer prehabilitation.

METHODS

MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Embase, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, ProQuest Medical Library, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and grey literature were systematically searched for quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies published in English between January 2017 and June 2023. Screening, data extraction and critical appraisal were conducted by two reviewers independently using Covidence™ systematic review software. Data were analysed and synthesised thematically to address the question 'What do we know about access, acceptance and adherence to cancer prehabilitation, particularly among socially deprived and minority ethnic groups?' The protocol is published on PROSPERO CRD42023403776 RESULTS: Searches identified 11,715 records, and 56 studies of variable methodological quality were included: 32 quantitative, 15 qualitative and nine mixed-methods. Analysis identified facilitators and barriers at individual and structural levels, and with interpersonal connections important for prehabilitation access, acceptance and adherence. No study reported analysis of facilitators and barriers to prehabilitation specific to people from ethnic minority communities. One study described health literacy as a barrier to access for people from socioeconomically deprived communities.

CONCLUSIONS

There is limited empirical research of barriers and facilitators to inform improvement in equity of access to cancer prehabilitation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

To enhance the inclusivity of cancer prehabilitation, adjustments may be needed to accommodate individual characteristics and attention given to structural factors, such as staff training. Interpersonal connections are proposed as a fundamental ingredient for successful prehabilitation.

Attitudes and perceptions of cancer patients and healthcare providers towards prehabilitation: A thematic synthesis

PURPOSE

Prehabilitation, which is the process of enhancing functional capacity before undergoing surgery or other treatments, has been shown to improve cancer patients' outcomes. Patient and healthcare provider attitudes and perceptions are essential factors in the successful implementation of prehabilitation. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize qualitative evidence and explore the barriers and facilitators to prehabilitation implementation.

METHODS

From the earliest available date to October 2023, 7 databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE) were searched for a systematic review. Data were extracted, thematically analysed, and mapped onto the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation Model of Behaviour (COM-B). The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool was used to assess the quality of the studies.

RESULTS

A total of 26 studies were included, involving 377 patients, 51 caregivers, and 156 healthcare providers. 16 factors were identified and mapped onto the COM-B model: reflective/automatic motivation, physical/social opportunity, physical/ psychological capability.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients and healthcare provides identified a lack of reflective motivation and physical opportunities as the most significant barriers to engagement in prehabilitation. Personalized approaches, social support, and healthcare providers' engagement are key factors for prehabilitation. Future research should focus on developing effective interventions to enhance the uptake and sustainability of prehabilitation.

Eating and drinking experience in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

To explore eating and drinking experiences of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the impact of any changes associated with their diagnosis and any coping mechanisms developed by patients.

SETTING

Pulmonary fibrosis support groups around the UK and the regional Interstitial Lung Diseases Clinic, Newcastle upon Tyne.

PARTICIPANTS

15 patients with IPF (9 men, 6 women), median age 71 years, range (54-92) years, were interviewed. Inclusion criteria included competent adults (over the age of 18 years) with a secure diagnosis of IPF as defined by international consensus guidelines. Patients were required to have sufficient English language competence to consent and participate in an interview. Exclusion criteria were a history of other lung diseases, a history of pre-existing swallowing problem of other causes that may be associated with dysphagia and individuals with significant communication or other memory difficulties that render them unable to participate in an interview.

DESIGN

A qualitative study based on semistructured interviews used purpose sampling conducted between February 2021 and November 2021. Interviews were conducted via video videoconferencing call platform or telephone call, transcribed and data coded and analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three main themes were identified, along with several subthemes, which were: (1) Eating, as such, is no longer a pleasure. This theme mainly focused on the physical and sensory changes associated with eating and drinking and their effects and the subsequent emotional and social impact of these changes; (2) It is something that happens naturally and just try and get on with it. This theme centred on the self-determined strategies employed to manage changes to eating and drinking; and (3) What is normal. This theme focused on patients seeking information to better understand the changes in their eating and drinking and the patients' beliefs about what has changed their eating and drinking.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first study to report on IPF patients' lived experience of eating and drinking changes associated with their diagnosis. Findings demonstrate that some patients have substantial struggles and challenges with eating and drinking, affecting them physically, emotionally and socially. There is a need to provide better patient information for this area and further study.

Impact of a prehabilitation and recovery programme on emotional well-being in individuals undergoing cancer surgery: a multi-perspective qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Prehabilitation and recovery programmes aim to optimise patients' physical fitness and mental well-being before, during and after cancer treatment. This paper aimed to understand the impact of such a programme on emotional well-being in individuals undergoing cancer surgery. The programme was multi-modal, containing physical activity, well-being and nutritional support.

METHODS

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 individuals who participated in a prehabilitation and recovery programme. Twenty-four health care staff involved in referral completed an online survey. An inductive, thematic analysis was conducted, integrating perspectives of patients and staff, structured with the Framework approach.

RESULTS

Patients seemed to experience emotional benefits from the programme, appearing less anxious and more confident in their ability to cope with treatment. They seemed to value having something positive to focus on and control over an aspect of treatment. Ongoing, implicit psychological support provided by Exercise Specialists, who were perceived as expert, available and caring, seemed valued. Some patients appeared to appreciate opportunities to talk about cancer with peers and professionals. Discomfort with talking about cancer with other people, outside of the programme, was expressed.

CONCLUSIONS

Participation in a prehabilitation and recovery programme appeared to yield valuable emotional well-being benefits, even without referral to specialist psychological support.

STUDY REGISTRATION

The study protocol was uploaded onto the Open Science Framework 24 September 2020 ( https://osf.io/347qj/ ).

A qualitative stakeholder analysis of beliefs, facilitators, and barriers for a feasible prehabilitation program before lung cancer surgery

BACKGROUND

In order to develop a feasible prehabilitation program before surgery of NSCLC, this study aimed to gain insight into beliefs, facilitators, and barriers of (1) healthcare professionals to refer patients to a prehabilitation program, (2) patients to participate in and adhere to a prehabilitation program, and (3) informal caregivers to support their loved ones.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals, patients who underwent surgery for NSCLC, and their informal caregivers. The capability, opportunity, and motivation for behavior-model (COM-B) guided the development of the interview questions. Results were analyzed thematically.

RESULTS

The interviews were conducted with twelve healthcare professionals, seventeen patients, and sixteen informal caregivers. Four main themes were identified: (1) content of prehabilitation and referral, (2) organizational factors, (3) personal factors for participation, and (4) environmental factors. Healthcare professionals mentioned that multiple professionals should facilitate the referral of patients to prehabilitation within primary and secondary healthcare involved in prehabilitation, considering the short preoperative period. Patients did not know that a better preoperative physical fitness and nutritional status would make a difference in the risk of postoperative complications. Patients indicated that they want to receive information about the aim and possibilities of prehabilitation. Most patients preferred a group-based physical exercise training program organized in their living context in primary care. Informal caregivers could support their loved one when prehabilitation takes place by doing exercises together.

CONCLUSION

A prehabilitation program should be started as soon as possible after the diagnosis of lung cancer. Receiving information about the purpose and effects of prehabilitation in a consult with a physician seems crucial to patients and informal caregivers to be involved in prehabilitation. Support of loved ones in the patient's own living context is essential for adherence to a prehabilitation program.

Post-Cancer Treatment Reflections by Patients Concerning the Provisions and Support Required for a Prehabilitation Programme

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests that physical fitness interventions, mental health support and nutritional advice before surgery (prehabilitation) could reduce hospital stay and improve quality of life of patients with cancer. In this study we captured the opinions of a group of patients with cancer undergoing these interventions after treatment to discover what a prehabilitation programme should encompass.

METHODS

Patients from the Cancer and Rehabilitation Exercise (CARE) programme based in Nottingham took part in a 26-point online questionnaire about the design of prehabilitation programmes.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was completed over a 2-week period in December 2021 by 54 patients from the CARE programme. Their responses were as follows: 44 (81.5%) participants would have participated in prehabilitation had it been available to them and 28 (51.9%) ranked physical exercise as the most important component. Forty (74.1%) participants believed the counselling aspect of prehabilitation would have contributed to a successful outcome and 35 (64.8%) thought dietary advice would have benefitted them before surgery. Thirty-one (57.4%) participants preferred the programme to take place in a fitness centre, rather than at home or hospital and 43 (79.6%) would have liked to have known about prehabilitation from their doctor at the time of diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients are interested in prehabilitation to become more physically fit and mentally prepared for surgery. They expressed the need for a focus on physical exercise, counselling to improve mental health and personalised nutritional advice. Tailoring a prehabilitation programme, with input from patients, could contribute to improving patient outcomes following cancer treatments.

Acceptability of prehabilitation for cancer surgery: a multi-perspective qualitative investigation of patient and 'clinician' experiences

BACKGROUND

'Prehabilitation' interventions aim to enhance individuals' physical fitness prior to cancer treatment, typically involve exercise training as a key component, and may continue to support physical activity, strength, and fitness during or after treatment. However, uptake of prehabilitation is variable. This study investigated how patients from diverse socio-economic status groups perceived an exemplar prehabilitation and recovery programme, aiming to understand factors impacting acceptability, engagement and referral.

METHODS

This research was conducted in the context of the Prehab4Cancer and Recovery Programme, a prehabilitation and recovery programme available across Greater Manchester, UK. Qualitative, semi-structured phone/video-call interviews were conducted with 18 adult patient participants referred to the programme (16 'engagers', 2 'non-engagers'; half the sample lived in localities with low socio-economic status scores). An online questionnaire with free-response and categorical-response questions was completed by 24 'clinician' participants involved in referral (nurses, doctors and other staff roles). An inductive, multi-perspective, thematic analysis was performed, structured using the Framework approach.

RESULTS

Discussing and referring patients to prehabilitation can be challenging due to large quantities of information for staff to cover, and for patients to absorb, around the time of diagnosis. The programme was highly valued by both participant groups; the belief that participation would improve recovery seemed a major motivator for engagement, and some 'clinicians' felt that prehabilitation should be treated as a routine part of treatment, or extended to support other patient groups. Engagers seemed to appreciate a supportive approach where they did not feel forced to do any activity and tailoring of the programme to meet individual needs and abilities was appreciated. Initial engagement could be daunting, but gaining experience with the programme seemed to increase confidence.

CONCLUSIONS

The prehabilitation programme was highly valued by engagers. Introducing prehabilitation at a challenging time means that personalised approaches might be needed to support engagement, or participation could be encouraged at a later time. Strategies to support individuals lacking in confidence, such as buddying, may be valuable.

STUDY REGISTRATION

The study protocol was uploaded onto the Open Science Framework 24 September 2020 ( https://osf.io/347qj/ ).

What moves patients to participate in prehabilitation before major surgery? A mixed methods systematic review

BACKGROUND

Prehabilitation offers patients the opportunity to actively participate in their perioperative care by preparing themselves for their upcoming surgery. Experiencing barriers may lead to non-participation, which can result in a reduced functional capacity, delayed post-operative recovery and higher healthcare costs. Insight in the barriers and facilitators to participation in prehabilitation can inform further development and implementation of prehabilitation. The aim of this review was to identify patient-experienced barriers and facilitators for participation in prehabilitation.

METHODS

For this mixed methods systematic review, articles were searched in PubMed, EMBASE and CINAHL. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they contained data on patient-reported barriers and facilitators to participation in prehabilitation in adults undergoing major surgery. Following database search, and title and abstract screening, full text articles were screened for eligibility and quality was assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Relevant data from the included studies were extracted, coded and categorized into themes, using an inductive approach. Based on these themes, the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) model was chosen to classify the identified themes.

RESULTS

Three quantitative, 14 qualitative and 6 mixed methods studies, published between 2007 and 2022, were included in this review. A multitude of factors were identified across the different COM-B components. Barriers included lack of knowledge of the benefits of prehabilitation and not prioritizing prehabilitation over other commitments (psychological capability), physical symptoms and comorbidities (physical capability), lack of time and limited financial capacity (physical opportunity), lack of social support (social opportunity), anxiety and stress (automatic motivation) and previous experiences and feeling too fit for prehabilitation (reflective motivation). Facilitators included knowledge of the benefits of prehabilitation (psychological capability), having access to resources (physical opportunity), social support and encouragement by a health care professional (social support), feeling a sense of control (automatic motivation) and beliefs in own abilities (reflective motivation).

CONCLUSIONS

A large number of barriers and facilitators, influencing participation in prehabilitation, were found across all six COM-B components. To reach all patients and to tailor prehabilitation to the patient's needs and preferences, it is important to take into account patients' capability, opportunity and motivation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021250273) on May 18th, 2021.

Implementation of a teleprehabilitation program for oncosurgical patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: perspectives and user satisfaction

INTRODUCTION

Many rehabilitation services in the face of the COVID-19 health emergency have had to adapt face-to-face interventions with remote care through teleprehabilitation. We aim to describe the implementation of a teleprehabilitation program during the COVID-19 pandemic for patients who are candidates for elective cancer surgery in a low-income Chilean public hospital. Secondarily, describe the perspectives and satisfaction of patients with the program.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Correspond to a descriptive and retrospective pre-habilitation telemedicine intervention study. Implementation was measured in terms of, recruitment rate, retention, dropouts, and occurrence of adverse events. User perspectives and satisfaction were evaluated through a survey composed of nine items on a Likert scale with five response options. Descriptive analyses were considered with mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, as well as absolute and relative frequency. For patients' perspectives on the program, a qualitative analysis was considered to describe them. The most relevant domains were identified in a text box to illustrate the results.

RESULTS

One hundred fifty-five patients were referred to the teleprehabilitation program, with 99.3% recruitment, a retention rate of 46.7%, and no adverse events reported. In relation to user satisfaction, in general, patients showed good satisfaction with the teleprehabilitation program except items related to "access to the teleprehabilitation program connection" and "number of sessions." Thirty-three patients reported their perspectives on the intervention, represented in 12 domains.

CONCLUSION

It is possible to implement a teleprehabilitation program for oncosurgical patients in the context of preoperative care during the COVID-19 pandemic, with good user satisfaction. Likewise, this study provides guidance for other health institutions that wish to implement a teleprehabilitation program.

Physical, Leisure, and Daily Living Activities in Patients Before, During, and After Radiotherapy for Cancer: Which Patients Need Support in Activities?

BACKGROUND

Avoiding inactivity and staying active during cancer therapy have great health effects.

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this study were to describe level of daily, leisure, and physical activities before, during, and after radiotherapy and to investigate whether patients who had not restored activity level after radiotherapy differed from patients who had restored activity level regarding different characteristics.

METHODS

In this descriptive longitudinal study, 196 patients undergoing pelvic-abdominal radiotherapy reported their activity level at baseline, weekly during radiotherapy, and at 1 month after radiotherapy.

RESULTS

Patients decreased activity level during radiotherapy (P < .001 for all activities): physical activity (34% of patients decreased level), walking (26%), leisure activities (44%), social activities (15%), housework (34%), shopping (28%), and activities in general (28%). Almost half (47%) had not restored activity level after radiotherapy. Patients with colorectal cancer, older than 65 years, who had less education than university, and high capacity in overall daily activities at baseline were more likely than other patients not to restore activity level after radiotherapy. The patients not restoring their activity level after radiotherapy were more likely than others to experience anxious mood (P = .016), depressed mood (P = .003), and poor quality of life (P = .003) after radiotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Patients' activity level decreased during radiotherapy, and almost half of patients did not restore activity level after radiotherapy.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Given that restored activity level after radiotherapy was less common in certain subgroups and that patients who restored activity level experienced better quality of life and less frequent anxious and depressed mood, cancer nursing professionals should consider supporting these subgroups of patients in performing activities.

Prehabilitation in high-risk patients scheduled for major abdominal cancer surgery: a feasibility study

Background

Patients presenting for major surgery with low cardiorespiratory fitness (deconditioning) and other modifiable risk factors are at increased risk of postoperative complications. This study investigated the feasibility of delivering prehabilitation in high-risk patients scheduled for major abdominal cancer surgery.

Methods

Eligible patients in this single-center cohort study included patients with poor fitness (objectively assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing, CPET) scheduled for elective major abdominal cancer surgery. Patients were recruited to participate in a prehabilitation program that spanned up to 6 weeks pre-operatively and comprised aerobic and resistance exercise training, breathing exercise, and nutritional support. The primary outcome assessed pre-specified feasibility targets: recruitment >70%, retention >85%, and intervention adherence >70%. Secondary outcomes were assessed for improved pre-operative functional status and health-related quality of life and for postoperative complications.

Results

Eighty-two (34%) out of 238 patients screened between April 2018 and December 2019 were eligible for recruitment. Fifty (61%) patients (52% males) with a median age of 71 (IQR, 63–77) years participated in the study. Baseline oxygen consumption the at anaerobic threshold and at peak exercise (mean±SD: 9.8±1.8 and 14.0±2.9 mL/kg/min, respectively) confirmed the deconditioned state of the study cohort. The retention rate within the prehabilitation program was 84%, with 42 participants returning for repeat CPET testing. While >60% of participants preferred to do home-based prehabilitation, adherence to the intervention was low—with only 12 (28%) and 15 (35%) of patients having self-reported compliance >70% with their exercise prescriptions.

Conclusion

Our prehabilitation program in high-risk cancer surgery patients did not achieve pre-specified targets for recruitment, retention, and self-reported program adherence. These findings underpin the importance of implementation research and strategies for the prehabilitation programs in major surgery.

Trial registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12620000073909) retrospectively registered.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13741-022-00263-2.

Feasibility of a tele-prehabilitation program in high-risk patients with colon or rectal cancer undergoing elective surgery: a feasibility study

Background

Prehabilitation appears to be an effective strategy to reduce postoperative complications and enhance recovery after colorectal surgery. Although many patients prefer (unsupervised) home-based prehabilitation, adherence can be problematic. Combining home-based prehabilitation with tele-monitoring might demonstrate a higher adherence than unsupervised prehabilitation; however, evidence on its feasibility and effectiveness in patients with colorectal cancer scheduled for elective surgery who are at high risk for postoperative complications is lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a bimodal tele-prehabilitation program in patients with colorectal cancer at high risk for postoperative complications.

Methods

High-risk patients (oxygen uptake at the ventilatory anaerobic threshold ≤11 mL/kg/min or oxygen uptake at peak exercise ≤ 18 mL/kg/min) with colorectal cancer were included in a home-based bimodal tele-prehabilitation program. The program consisted of a personalized tele-monitored moderate to high-intensity interval training intervention and nutritional counseling. Feasibility was measured by participation rate, dropout rate, adherence to the physical exercise training session’s frequency, intensity, and time, and retention rate. Patient appreciation was measured by a patient appreciation questionnaire. Changes in preoperative physical fitness as secondary outcomes were quantified by time to exhaustion on a constant work rate (cycle) test, number of repetitions on the 30-s chair-stand test, and walking speed on the 4-m gait speed test.

Results

The participation rate was 81%, there were no adverse events, and all participants managed to complete the tele-prehabilitation program (retention rate of 100%). Adherence with regard to the exercise program’s frequency, intensity, and time was respectively 91%, 84%, and 100%. All participants appreciated the tele-prehabilitation program. Time to exhaustion on the constant work rate test improved (not statistically significant) from a pre-prehabilitation median score of 317 seconds to a post-prehabilitation median score of 412 seconds (p = 0.24). Median number of repetitions on the 30-s chair-stand test improved from 12 to 16 (p = 0.01).

Conclusions

Tele-prehabilitation seems feasible in high-risk patients with colorectal cancer, but efforts should be made to further improve adherence to physical exercise training intensity. More research is needed to establish the (cost-)effectiveness of tele-prehabilitation regarding preoperative improvements in preoperative aerobic fitness and postoperative reduction of complications.

Trial registration

ISRCTN, ISRCTN64482109. Registered 09 November 2021 - Retrospectively registered.

Considerations for multimodal prehabilitation in women with gynaecological cancers: a scoping review using realist principles

BACKGROUND

There is increasing recognition that prehabilitation is important as a means of preparing patients physically and psychologically for cancer treatment. However, little is understood about the role and optimal nature of prehabilitation for gynaecological cancer patients, who usually face extensive and life-changing surgery in addition to other treatments that impact significantly on physiological and psychosexual wellbeing.

REVIEW QUESTION

This scoping review was conducted to collate the research evidence on multimodal prehabilitation in gynaecological cancers and the related barriers and facilitators to engagement and delivery that should be considered when designing a prehabilitation intervention for this group of women.

METHODS

Seven medical databases and four grey literature repositories were searched from database inception to September 2021. All articles, reporting on multimodal prehabilitation in gynaecological cancers were included in the final review, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods. Qualitative studies on unimodal interventions were also included, as these were thought to be more likely to include information about barriers and facilitators which could also be relevant to multimodal interventions. A realist framework of context, mechanism and outcome was used to assist interpretation of findings.

RESULTS

In total, 24 studies were included in the final review. The studies included the following tumour groups: ovarian only (n = 12), endometrial only (n = 1), mixed ovarian, endometrial, vulvar (n = 5) and non-specific gynaecological tumours (n = 6). There was considerable variation across studies in terms of screening for prehabilitation, delivery of prehabilitation and outcome measures. Key mechanisms and contexts influencing engagement with prehabilitation can be summarised as: (1) The role of healthcare professionals and organisations (2) Patients' perceptions of acceptability (3) Factors influencing patient motivation (4) Prehabilitation as a priority (5) Access to prehabilitation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

A standardised and well evidenced prehabilitation programme for women with gynaecological cancer does not yet exist. Healthcare organisations and researchers should take into account the enablers and barriers to effective engagement by healthcare professionals and by patients, when designing and evaluating prehabilitation for gynaecological cancer patients.

Preparing for colorectal surgery: a qualitative study of experiences and preferences of patients in Western Canada

Objectives

The burden and costs of abdominal surgery for chronic conditions are on the rise, but could be reduced through self-management support. However, structured support to prepare for colorectal surgery is not routinely offered to patients in Canada. This study aimed to describe experiences and explore preferences for multimodal prehabilitation among colorectal surgery patients.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive study using three focus groups (FG) was held with 19 patients who had a surgical date for abdominal surgery (April 2017-April 2018) and lived close (≤ 50 km radius) to a tertiary hospital in Western Canada (including a Surgical Lead for the British Columbia Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Collaborative). FGs were audio-taped and verbatim transcribed with coding and pile-and-sort methods performed by two independent reviewers, confirmed by a third reviewer, in NVivo v9 software; followed by thematic analysis and narrative synthesis.

Results

Four themes emerged: support, informed decision-making, personalization of care, and mental/emotional health, which patients felt was particularly important but rarely addressed. Patient preferences for prehabilitation programming emphasised regular support from a single professional source, simple health messages, convenient access, and flexibility.

Conclusions

There is an unmet need for structured preoperative support to better prepare patients for colorectal surgery. Future multimodal prehabilitation should be flexible and presented with non-medical information so patients can make informed decisions about their preoperative care and surgical outcomes. Healthcare providers have an important role in encouraging healthy lifestyle changes before colorectal surgery, though clearer communication and accurate advice on self-care, particularly mental health, are needed for improving patient outcomes.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08130-y.

• Optimising preoperative care for abdominal surgery patients could improve outcomes.

• Patient experiences of preparing for colorectal surgery could inform future interventions, but patient-oriented research to improve quality of care is scarce.

• There is an unmet need for preoperative support in colorectal surgery.

• Future multimodal prehabilitation should incorporate patient preferences.

Implementation of prehabilitation in colorectal cancer surgery: qualitative research on how to strengthen facilitators and overcome barriers

Purpose

Prehabilitation is increasingly offered to patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) undergoing surgery as it could prevent complications and facilitate recovery. However, implementation of such a complex multidisciplinary intervention is challenging. This study aims to explore perspectives of professionals involved in prehabilitation to gain understanding of barriers or facilitators to its implementation and to identify strategies to successful operationalization of prehabilitation.

Methods

In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were performed with healthcare professionals involved in prehabilitation for patients with CRC. Prehabilitation was defined as a preoperative program with the aim of improving physical fitness and nutritional status. Parallel with data collection, open coding was applied to the transcribed interviews. The Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU) framework, a comprehensive interdisciplinary model guide to promote implementation of research findings into healthcare practice, was used to categorize obtained codes and structure the barriers and facilitators into relevant themes for change.

Results

Thirteen interviews were conducted. Important barriers were the conflicting scientific evidence on (cost-)effectiveness of prehabilitation, the current inability to offer a personalized prehabilitation program, the complex logistic organization of the program, and the unawareness of (the importance of) a prehabilitation program among healthcare professionals and patients. Relevant facilitators were availability of program coordinators, availability of physician leadership, and involving skeptical colleagues in the implementation process from the start.

Conclusions

Important barriers to prehabilitation implementation are mainly related to the intervention being complex, relatively unknown and only evaluated in a research setting. Therefore, physicians’ leadership is needed to transform care towards more integration of personalized prehabilitation programs.

Implications for cancer survivors

By strengthening prehabilitation programs and evidence of their efficacy using these recommendations, it should be possible to enhance both the pre- and postoperative quality of life for colorectal cancer patients during survivorship.

Feasibility of Rehabilitation during Chemoradiotherapy among Patients with Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Rehabilitation during chemoradiotherapy (CHRT) might (partly) prevent reduction in physical fitness and nutritional status and could improve treatment tolerance in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to investigate the feasibility of a multimodal program for rehabilitation during CHRT. A home-based multimodal rehabilitation program (partly supervised moderate-intensity physical exercise training and nutritional support) during CHRT was developed in collaboration with patients with stage III NSCLC and specialized healthcare professionals. A predetermined number of six patients with stage III NSCLC (aged > 50 years) who underwent CHRT and participated in this program were monitored in detail to assess its feasibility for further development and optimization of the program. The patient’s level of physical functioning (e.g., cardiopulmonary exercise test, six-minute walking test, handgrip strength, body mass index, fat free mass index, energy and protein intake) was evaluated in order to provide personalized advice regarding physical exercise training and nutrition. The program appeared feasible and well-tolerated. All six included patients managed to perform the assessments. Exercise session adherence was high in five patients and low in one patient. The performed exercise intensity was lower than prescribed for all patients. Patients were motivated to complete the home-based rehabilitation program during CHRT. Preliminary effects on physical and nutritional parameters revealed relatively stable values throughout CHRT, with inter-individual variation. Supervised and personalized rehabilitation in patients with stage III NSCLC undergoing CHRT seems feasible when the intensity of the physical exercise training was adjusted to the possibilities and preferences of the patients. Future research should investigate the feasibility of a supervised and personalized rehabilitation program during CHRT with a low-to-moderate exercise intensity with the aim to prevent physical decline during CHRT.

The Role of Prehabilitation in Modern Esophagogastric Cancer Surgery: A Comprehensive Review

Simple Summary

Surgery is the only potentially curative treatment option for esophagogastric cancer. Although esophagectomy/gastrectomy remains associated with major surgical trauma and significant morbidity. Prehabilitation has emerged as a novel strategy to improve postoperative outcomes by preparing patients for a surgery-associated physiological challenge. We discuss current knowledge and the results of studies on the role of prehabilitation in esophagogastric cancer surgery.

Abstract

Esophagogastric cancer is among the most common malignancies worldwide. Surgery with or without neoadjuvant therapy is the only potentially curative treatment option. Although esophagogastric resections remain associated with major surgical trauma and significant postoperative morbidity. Prehabilitation has emerged as a novel strategy to improve clinical outcomes by optimizing physical and psychological status before major surgery through exercise and nutritional and psychological interventions. Current prehabilitation programs may be unimodal, including only one intervention, or multimodal, combining the benefits of different types of interventions. However, it still is an investigational treatment option mostly limited to clinical trials. In this comprehensive review, we summarize the current evidence for the role of prehabilitation in modern esophagogastric cancer surgery. The available studies are very heterogeneous in design, type of interventions, and measured outcomes. Yet, all of them confirm at least some positive effects of prehabilitation in terms of improved physical performance, nutritional status, quality of life, or even reduced postoperative morbidity. However, the optimal interventions for prehabilitation remain unclear; thus, they cannot be standardized and widely adopted. Future studies on multimodal prehabilitation are necessary to develop optimal programs for patients with esophagogastric cancer.

STRONG for Surgery & Strong for Life - against all odds: intensive prehabilitation including smoking, nutrition, alcohol and physical activity for risk reduction in cancer surgery - a protocol for an RCT with nested interview study (STRONG-Cancer)

Background

There is a large unused potential for risk reduction in the preoperative period via effective lifestyle intervention targeting co-existing risky lifestyles: Smoking, malNutrition, obesity, risky Alcohol intake and insufficient Physical activity (SNAP).

This trial compares the efficacy of the integrated STRONG programme with standard care on preoperative risk reduction and secondly on SNAP factor improvement and frailty, postoperative complications and quality of life. A nested interview study explores the patient preferences and the multi-perspective view of patients, relatives and health professionals.

Methods

In total, 42 surgical patients with ≥1 SNAP factor are allocated to individually tailored STRONG programme or usual care during adjuvant chemotherapy prior to radical bladder cancer surgery. The STRONG programme has ≥6 weekly sessions with patient education, motivational and pharmaceutical support. It is based on intensive smoking and alcohol cessation interventions reporting perioperative quit rates > 50%.

Surgical risk reduction is measured as ≥1 step for 1 or more risky lifestyles on the ASA-score, secondly as having no risky SNAP factors, and as any SNAP improvement. The outcomes are validated by measurements and biomarkers. Postoperative complications are categorised according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. Health-related quality of life is measured by EQ-5D.

The patients are followed up after 6 weeks at surgery and 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively.

A representative sample of the participants, their relatives and the clinical staff are interviewed until data saturation. Transcription, triangulated analyses and data management are conducted using NVivo computer software.

Discussion

The surgical agenda is characterised by fixed dates for surgery focusing on clear risk reduction within a short time. This requires a clinical useful lifestyle intervention programme with a high effect and coverage as well as containing all SNAP factors and tailored to individual needs.

The STRONG programme seems to meet these requirements. After development in multi-professional collaboration, STRONG is delivered by a specially trained nurse as part of the surgical patient journey.

Overall, this study will bring important new knowledge about risk reduction in a frail patient group undergoing major cancer surgery.

Trial registration

Registration at www.clintrials.gov (NCT04088968)

The manuscript form from https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/bmc/journal and the SPIRIT guidelines are followed.

PREsurgery thoughts - thoughts on prehabilitation in oncologic gynecologic surgery, a qualitative template analysis in older adults and their healthcare professionals

PURPOSE

This study aimed to reveal information that can be used for composing a prehabilitation program tailored to elderly gynecological oncological patients and is applicable to healthcare professionals. We investigated possible content and indications for prehabilitation, and what potential barriers might exist.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Because of the primary exploratory study aim, inductive thematic template analysis on semi-structured interviews with gynecologic oncological patients aged ≥60 years and healthcare professionals were used.

RESULTS

16 patients and 20 healthcare professionals were interviewed. Three themes important for prehabilitation were found: (1) "Motivation," (2) "Practical issues and facilitators," and (3) "Patient-related factors." A short time interval between diagnosis and surgery was reported as a potential barrier for prehabilitation. Given components for a tailor-made prehabilitation program are: (1) The first contact with a nurse who screens the patients, gives tailor-made advice on prehabilitation and keeps patients motivated and supports them mentally; (2) If patients are referred to a more extensive/supervised program, this should preferably be arranged close to a patients' home.

CONCLUSION

Based on our findings, an outline of a patient-tailored prehabilitation program was developed. The main important themes for prehabilitation were "Motivation," "Practical issues and facilitators," and "Patient-related factors."IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONPatients and healthcare professionals are positive about prehabilitation.Main themes for designing a prehabilitation program are "Motivation," "Practical issues and facilitators," and "Patient-related factors."Nursing staff can play a key role in prehabilitation.It is important to screen patients for specific impairments to obtain a tailor-made prehabilitation program.For some patients, general advice on prehabilitation might be sufficient, while others may need more supervision.The time interval between diagnosis and surgery is often short and is perceived as a potentially significant barrier for an effective prehabilitation program.

What matters to you? An investigation of patients' perspectives on and acceptability of prehabilitation in major cancer surgery

OBJECTIVE

To understand perspectives on and acceptability of prehabilitation among patients undergoing complex abdominal cancer surgery (cytoreductive surgery with or without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy).

METHODS

Seventy-nine patients admitted to a Danish colorectal or ovarian cancer centre participated in qualitative semi-structured interviews and/or registered their prehabilitation activities based on preoperative recommendations presented in a leaflet. Malterud's principles of systematic text condensation were used to analyse the interview data, and descriptive statistics were used to describe the activity registrations.

RESULTS

Five domains clarify central aspects of the patients' perspectives on and acceptability of prehabilitation: the preoperative period, attitudes towards prehabilitation, the actual prehabilitation performed, motivation to take action and the need for support.

CONCLUSION

Patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery are interested in and positive towards prehabilitation, but it has to be on their terms. The patients need support and supervision, but it has to be provided in a setting and in a way that are in line with the patient's preferences, resources and values. Thus, patient involvement is necessary to create prehabilitation programmes that are feasible and fit into patients' everyday lives.

Implementing a telehealth prehabilitation education session for patients preparing for major cancer surgery

Background

Prehabilitation services assist patients in preparing for surgery, yet access to these services are often limited by geographical factors. Enabling rural and regional patients to access specialist surgical prehabilitation support with the use of telehealth technology has the potential to overcome health inequities and improve post-operative outcomes.

Aim

To evaluate the current and likely future impact of a telehealth preoperative education package for patients preparing for major abdominal cancer surgery.

Methods

A telehealth alternative to a hospital based pre-operative education session was developed and implemented at a dedicated cancer hospital. Adult patients (≥18 years) scheduled for elective major cancer surgery were offered this telehealth alternative. Impact evaluation was conducted using the RE-AIM framework.

Results

To date, 35 participants have consented to participate in the study. Thirty-one participants attended the intervention; 24 (69%) residing in rural or regional areas. Twenty-four (77%) reported that if given a choice they would prefer the online session as opposed to attending the hospital in person. The majority (97%) reported they would recommend the intervention to others preparing for surgery. Session information was recalled by all 26 participants and 77% of participants reported acting on recommendations 2 weeks after the session. Lessons learnt and recommendations for providers implementing similar programs are reported.

Conclusion

Telehealth alternatives to hospital based pre-operative education are well received by patients preparing for major cancer surgery. We make seven recommendations to improve implementation. Further evaluation of implementation strategies alongside clinical effectiveness in future studies is essential.

Trial registration

ACTRN12620000096954, 04/02/2020.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-021-06437-w.

Current Landscape of Nutrition Within Prehabilitation Oncology Research: A Scoping Review

Background: Prehabilitation aims to improve functional capacity prior to cancer treatment to achieve better psychosocial and clinical outcomes. Prehabilitation interventions vary considerably in design and delivery. In order to identify gaps in knowledge and facilitate the design of future studies, we undertook a scoping review of prehabilitation studies to map the range of work on prehabilitation being carried out in any cancer type and with a particular focus on diet or nutrition interventions. Objectives: Firstly, to describe the type of prehabilitation programs currently being conducted. Secondly, to describe the extent to which prehabilitation studies involved aspects of nutrition, including assessment, interventions, implementation, and outcomes. Eligibility Criteria: Any study of quantitative or qualitative design that employed a formal prehabilitation program before cancer treatment ("prehabilitation" listed in keywords, title, or abstract). Sources of Evidence: Search was conducted in July 2020 using MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, EMCARE, CINAHL, and AMED. Charting Methods: Quantitative data were reported as frequencies. Qualitative nutrition data were charted using a framework analysis that reflects the Nutrition Care Process Model: assessment, intervention, and monitoring/evaluation of the nutrition intervention. Results: Five hundred fifty unique articles were identified: 110 studies met inclusion criteria of a formal prehabilitation study in oncology. prehabilitation studies were mostly cohort studies (41%) or randomized-controlled trials (38%) of multimodal (49%), or exercise-only (44%) interventions that were applied before surgery (94%). Nutrition assessment was inconsistently applied across these studies, and often conducted without validated tools (46%). Of the 110 studies, 37 (34%) included a nutrition treatment component. Half of these studies provided the goal for the nutrition component of their prehabilitation program; of these goals, less than half referenced accepted nutrition guidelines in surgery or oncology. Nutrition interventions largely consisted of counseling with dietary supplementation. The nutrition intervention was indiscernible in 24% of studies. Two-thirds of studies did not monitor the nutrition intervention nor evaluate nutrition outcomes. Conclusion: Prehabilitation literature lacks standardized and validated nutritional assessment, is frequently conducted without evidence-based nutrition interventions, and is typically implemented without monitoring the nutrition intervention or evaluating the intervention's contribution to outcomes. We suggest that the development of a core outcome set could improve the quality of the studies, enable pooling of evidence, and address some of the research gaps identified.

The Role of Behavioral Science in Personalized Multimodal Prehabilitation in Cancer

Multimodal prehabilitation is increasingly recognized as an important component of the pre-operative pathway in oncology. It aims to optimize physical and psychological health through delivery of a series of tailored interventions including exercise, nutrition, and psychological support. At the core of this prescription is a need for considerable health behavior change, to ensure that patients are engaged with and adhere to these interventions and experience the associated benefits. To date the prehabilitation literature has focused on testing the efficacy of devised exercise and nutritional interventions with a primary focus on physiological and mechanistic outcomes with little consideration for the role of behavioral science, supporting individual behavior change or optimizing patient engagement. Changing health behavior is complex and to maximize success, prehabilitation programs should draw on latest insights from the field of behavioral science. Behavioral science offers extensive knowledge on theories and models of health behavior change to further advance intervention effectiveness. Similarly, interventions developed with a person-centered approach, taking into consideration individual needs and preferences will increase engagement. In this article, we will provide an overview of the extent to which the existing prehabilitation literature incorporates behavioral science, as well as studies that have explored patient's attitudes toward prehabilitation. We will go on to describe and critique ongoing trials in a variety of contexts within oncology prehabilitation and discuss how current scientific knowledge may be enhanced from a behavioral science perspective. We will also consider the role of “surgery schools” and detail practical recommendations that can be embedded in existing or emerging clinical settings.