Our objective is to initiate an exercise program for patients with advanced GI or Gyn cancer, as prehabilitation prior to surgery. The objective of the prehabilitation program is to reduce complication rates and improve the length and quality of survival for patients with abdominal cancer. The prehabilitation program will be offered to patients who are eligible for and consent to cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)
Our objective is to assess the feasibility and impact of implementing an exercise program for patients with advanced GI or Gyn cancer, as prehabilitation prior to surgery. The objective of the prehabilitation program is to reduce complication rates and improve the length and quality of survival for patients with abdominal cancer. The prehabilitation program will be offered to patients who are eligible for and consent to cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
12
Exercise Program Subjects randomized to the intervention arm should have 6 weeks of home exercise prior to surgery, with a minimum of 5 weeks and not more than 7 weeks. The program will begin with an exercise consultation appointment with a certified fitness professional. During this consultation participants will receive an exercise manual for individualized home-based exercise and a practical introduction by an exercise and cancer specialist. PowerBlock adjustable dumbbells will be used for resistance training exercises and walking or jogging will be the primary type of aerobic training. The current program design was developed and successfully used with women with breast cancer. Thus, some components may need modification for this group of patients with advanced GI cancer.
Control arm: Subjects randomized to the control arm will receive education and a handbook on the benefits of exercise and will be encouraged to have adequate protein in their diet and provided with the list of high protein foods and nutritional information. These subjects will undergo the same assessments as the intervention arm at all time points. Control subjects will be offered a 6-week home exercise program 3 months after CRS/HIPEC, as described in sections 7.2.1-7.2.3. Results and outcomes will not be recorded.
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States
Acceptability
Rate of enrollment into this trial
Time frame: 1 year
Feasibility of doing exercises
The percent of exercises completed by subjects
Time frame: 2 months
30-day Complication
• To assess the 30-day rate of complications after prehabilitation and CRS/HIPEC. The rate of complication after CRS/HIPEC is well described in the literature and established in our patient population at Penn State Cancer Institute. Infectious and non-infectious complications and length of stay will be collected
Time frame: 1 month
Quality of Life after CRS-HIPEC
• To monitor quality of life after prehabilitation and CRS/HIPEC. Quality of life (QOL) after CRS/HIPEC is well described in the literature and was assessed in our patients in a pilot study that is nearly completed. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) T-Scores for Physical Function will be obtained, scores ranging from 20-80, with higher scores reflecting higher physical function. To assess the effects of prehabilitation and CRS/HIPEC on muscle mass. Muscle mass at the level of L3 on cross-sectional imaging will be measured for all subjects at baseline, to determine the presence of sarcopenia. Muscle mass will be measured again after CRS/HIPEC. Changes in muscle mass after CRS/HIPEC are unknown, and the effect of a prehabilitation program in this patient population are also unknown. The results will serve as preliminary data for a future, larger study in this population with more specific hypotheses.
Time frame: 1 year
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