Preoperative exercise therapy for patients with cancer: A randomised-controlled trial

Interventions: Phase 1 Randomised-controlled trial. Following the completion of written informed consent, participants will be stratified (by cancer type) and randomised (1:1) to one of two groups consisting of: a) the prehabilitation intervention group or b) usual care group.
The intervention will consist of a supervised exercise training session by an accredited exercise physiologist once every three days (estimated four weeks) up and until 3-5 days before surgery in a gym setting. If the scheduled date for surgery is > 4 weeks, or is delayed, participants will continue attending supervised exercise training sessions as per the protocol. Each exercise training session will commence and conclude with a 5-minute warm up and cool-down on a self-selected apparatus (treadmill; stationary bicycle; cross-trainer) and can be conducted in a group or individually. All training will be Aerobic and will be conducted predominantly on a cycle ergometer with additional aerobic exercises (e.g. treadmill, step-ups, cross-trainer) will also be used to maintain participant engagement with the program. The prescribed intensity will be set at 40-70% of HRR and/or a rating of perceived exertion of 11-16 (fairly light” to hard”; 6 – 20 scale). Exercise training sessions last between 45-60 minutes, which will aim to include approximately 30 minutes of dedicated aerobic training.
The Accredited Exercise Physiologist who is training the participants may make amendments to the training protocol on an individual basis. However, the exercise sessions will be delivered in a group setting based on particpants availbility. This will allow potential adjustments to the exercise type, intensity and volume during the session based on the patient’s perceived exertion. All amendments must be recorded.