Recruiting

Prehabilitation Program

Sponsor:

Fox Chase Cancer Center

Code:

NCT07638410

Conditions

Pancreatic Cancer

Colo-rectal Cancer

Gastric Cancer

Esophageal Cancer

Bladder Cancer

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Multidisciplinary Prehabilitation Program

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical study is to learn whether a prehabilitation program can improve recovery after major abdominal surgery in adults with cancer who are receiving treatment before surgery. Prehabilitation is supportive care given before surgery to help patients prepare physically, nutritionally, and emotionally.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

1. Does prehabilitation reduce the number of participants who die or have serious complications within 30 days after surgery?
2. Does prehabilitation improve physical strength and fitness, nutritional status, emotional well-being, and quality of life before surgery?
3. Does prehabilitation affect the length of the hospital stay after surgery, the time it takes to start additional cancer treatment after surgery, or the ability to complete recommended additional treatment?

Participants will take part in a prehabilitation program during their treatment period before surgery. The program includes visits with physical therapy, nutrition, and health psychology. Participants will meet with each specialty at least twice before surgery. They will also complete questionnaires and tests that measure physical function, diet and weight, emotional well-being, and quality of life. After surgery, information about recovery and additional cancer treatment will be collected from medical records for up to 120 days.

Researchers will compare the outcomes of participants who receive the prehabilitation program with outcomes from similar patients who previously received care at Fox Chase Cancer Center but did not participate in this study.

Conditions

Pancreatic Cancer

Colo-rectal Cancer

Gastric Cancer

Esophageal Cancer

Bladder Cancer

Study ID

NCT07638410

Start date

Jul 15, 2026

Status verified date

Sep, 2026

Completion date

Mar 15, 2030

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 15, 2029

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Evidence of probable or confirmed primary or recurrent malignant neoplasm of any stage
  • Planned to undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation
  • Eligible surgical candidate for one of the following procedures: pancreatectomy, gastrectomy, esophagectomy, cystectomy, low anterior resection, abdominoperineal resection, or cytoreductive surgery with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy
  • Age greater than 18 years
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 2
  • Ability to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent form and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) authorization document

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unable to complete study requirements, such as attending a minimum of two visits for each specialty referral. This will be assessed at the final preoperative visit, at which time the participant may be discontinued from the study and replaced. Participants will not be excluded due to lack of insurance coverage for health psychology visits.
  • Does not proceed to surgery at an affiliated institution
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding

Study Design

Enrollment

180 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Multidisciplinary Prehabilitation Program

Participants will receive a multidisciplinary prehabilitation program during the preoperative period while undergoing neoadjuvant treatment before planned high-risk abdominal oncologic surgery. The program includes supportive care provided by physical therapy, nutrition, and health psychology to prepare participants for surgery and support physical, nutritional, and emotional well-being.

Interventions

Multidisciplinary Prehabilitation Program

A multidisciplinary prehabilitation program delivered during neoadjuvant therapy before planned high-risk abdominal oncologic surgery. The program includes physical therapy, nutrition, and health psychology support, with approximately monthly visits and at least two visits with each specialty before surgery.

Physical therapy includes an individualized home strengthening and aerobic exercise program supported by resistance bands, a pedometer, and an exercise log. Nutrition includes individualized dietary counseling focused on maintaining weight and meeting protein needs, with oral nutritional supplementation when clinically indicated. Health psychology includes assessment, supportive care planning, and referral to additional psychosocial resources when needed.

The intervention is completed before surgery; postoperative data collection is for follow-up only.

Primary outcome measure

  • 30-Day Rate of Death or Serious Complications After Surgery [ Time Frame: Within 30 days after surgery ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Stephanie Greco, MD

2152143719stephanie.greco@fccc.edu

Henkel Valentine, PhD

2678820820henkel.valentine@fccc.edu

Locations

Fox Chase Cancer Center - Philadelphia

Recruiting

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19111-2497

More Information

Sponsor

Fox Chase Cancer Center

Last update posted

Sep 21, 2026

Last verified

Sep, 2026

Keywords

  • Prehabilitation
  • Preoperative Rehabilitation
  • Multimodal Prehabilitation
  • Major Abdominal Surgery
  • Oncologic Surgery
  • Neoadjuvant Therapy
  • Postoperative Complications
  • Cancer Surgery

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-24. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Fox Chase Cancer Center on 2026-09-21. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.