Does pre-operative physical rehabilitation improve the functional outcomes of patients undergoing gastrointestinal cancer surgery?

[Purpose] This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of pre-operative physical rehabilitation on the postoperative course of the patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing surgery. [Participants and Methods] A rehabilitation physician examined and educated 33 patients (42% of whom were male with a mean age of 65.2 ± 10.9 years) who were scheduled to undergo elective surgery for gastrointestinal cancer. They received instructions for performing exercise from a physical therapist 17.0 ± 7.3 days prior to surgery. We divided the participants into three groups (improvement, maintenance, and deterioration) based on the changes in their ability to walk prior to surgery. This study compared the results of the 6-min walk test, hospital anxiety and depression scale, and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey version 2 for the three groups at baseline, following rehabilitation prior to surgery, and 4 weeks following surgery. [Results] In the improvement group, the decrease in the ability to walk between the baseline and 4 weeks after surgery was not significant. Conversely, the deterioration group exhibited a significant decrease in the ability to walk 4 weeks after surgery. [Conclusion] Improvement in walking ability by rehabilitation training prior to surgery leads to the preservation of physical function in the patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing surgery.