Nurse-Led Prehabilitation Before Major Abdominal Cancer Surgery

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Many people who have major planned surgery for abdominal cancer develop complications afterwards, which can prolong hospital stay and slow recovery. This study tests whether a four-week program led by a trained oncology nurse, started before surgery, reduces these complications. The program combines supervised and home exercise (walking, resistance and breathing exercises), nutrition counseling with protein targets and supplements when needed, education and relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety, and advice on stopping smoking and alcohol. Adults at one hospital will be randomly assigned, in equal numbers, to the program plus usual care or to usual care alone; 104 participants are planned. The main outcome is the Comprehensive Complication Index, a score from 0 to 100 that combines all complications within 30 days after surgery, graded by an assessor who does not know the group. Other outcomes include serious complications, distance walked in six minutes, quality of life, length of hospital stay, hospital readmission, time to first getting out of bed, and adherence to the program. In a qualitative part, 12 to 15 participants from the program group will be interviewed about their experiences, barriers and acceptability. Results from both parts will be combined to interpret the findings.

What you commit to

• Study type: Interventional
• Planned participants: 104
• From 10 Nov 2026 to the primary completion date, 5 Feb 2027
• 1 site in 1 country
• Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study design.

AI-kivonat: who the study is looking for

Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for adults with abdominal cancer who are scheduled for planned major abdominal surgery. It tests a nurse-led four-week program before surgery.

Age

18 years or older

Sex

All sexes

Disease stage

Confirmed or suspected abdominal cancer (colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, hepatobiliary or other major abdominal resection). Planned open or laparoscopic surgery at least 3 weeks after enrollment. ECOG performance status 0 to 2.

Earlier treatment

Cannot already be in a structured exercise program.

Main reasons for not taking part

• Emergency or urgent surgery
• Unstable heart or lung disease, or a medical reason not to exercise
• Severe bone, muscle or nerve condition that prevents walking
• Cognitive impairment that prevents following the program or filling in questionnaires
• Already in a structured exercise program

Read by machine on 9 Nov 2026.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Who the study is looking for

Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

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