Prehabilitative Exercise for the Enhancement of Physical, Psychosocial, and Biological Outcomes Among Patients Diagnosed with Cancer

Purpose of Review: This review summarizes the effects of prehabilitative exercise interventions on the physical, psychosocial, and biological outcomes among patients with cancer. Current gaps and future directions in prehabilitative exercise research will be addressed. Recent Findings: Prehabilitative exercise mitigates the detrimental impact of cancer surgery on physical fitness, noted by increases in maximal oxygen consumption and 6-min walk distance. Beneficial effects on psychosocial and biological outcomes remain inconclusive. Aerobic exercise interventions were often prescribed and included low-, moderate-, or high-intensity exercise. Resistance exercise interventions were often performed in conjunction with aerobic exercise. Summary: Prehabilitative exercise elicits robust improvements in physical fitness; however, effect on psychosocial and biological outcomes remains inconclusive. Exercise prescription parameters varied greatly by frequency, intensity, time, and type across multiple cancer diagnoses. Future investigations are needed to systematically dose exercise for a wider variety of outcome measures, with an overall goal to set forth pre-operative exercise guidelines.