Prehabilitation: the anesthesiologist's role and what is the evidence?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Surgery poses major threats to functional independence. Prehabilitation is a preoperative conditioning intervention that aims to prevent or attenuate surgery-related functional decline and its consequences. The present review is to summarize most recent evidence on the effectiveness of prehabilitation on key topics in cancer care, such as perioperative functional capacity, surgical and oncologic outcomes.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent studies predominantly focus on functional outcomes, demonstrating a positive effect of prehabilitation on perioperative physical fitness.

SUMMARY

Prehabilitation prevents functional decline associated with major cancer surgery. Evidence is still needed to support its effectiveness in relation to postoperative complication, length of hospital stay, tumor progression, response to medical treatment, and survival. Ongoing and future research is essential to prompt the role of perioperative medicine in cancer care.