Prehabilitation to improve lung cancer outcomes 1: principles and benefits

This article has been double-blind peer reviewed

In this article…

• Reviewing the evidence for cancer prehabilitation

• What a prehabilitation programme should include

• Role of the clinical nurse specialist in supporting patients with lung cancer

Key points

Cancer prehabilitation enables people to optimise their health before treatment to improve outcomes and quality of life

A prehabilitation programme involves an individualised plan comprising psychological support, exercise and nutritional advice

Prehabilitation has mostly been used before surgery but is suitable for patients at all stages of the cancer pathway

People with inoperable but treatable lung cancer, including those whose cancer is at a late stage, could benefit from prehabilitation

Smoking cessation may also form part of a multidisciplinary approach to prehabilitation for patients who have lung cancer

Abstract

Prehabilitation prepares patients with cancer for treatment through physical and mental health training to improve health outcomes and quality of life. Although the principles of prehabilitation are well established for operable cancers, there is an unmet need for inoperable cancers, for which prehabilitation could be introduced to systemic treatment pathways. This series of two articles explores introducing prehabilitation for inoperable cancers, using the example of advanced lung cancer. In this first article, we outline the principles and benefits of cancer prehabilitation before treatment for lung cancer.