Tests nutrition and exercise before surgery for bowel cancer
Tests pre-surgery nutrition support, alone or with exercise, in adults with colorectal cancer.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Tailored Nutrition vs. Exercise Prehabilitation Before Colorectal Cancer Surgery
Key facts
- Where
- Bodø and Tromsø, NorwaySee the 2 sites
Where in Norway
- Nordland Hospital TrustBodø, NorwayNo longer taking part
- University Hospital of North NorwayTromsø, NorwayNo longer taking part
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- University Hospital of North Norway
- Trial code
- NCT07922850
- Record updated
- 6 November 2026
- Original description
This study will test whether tailored nutritional support before surgery, alone or combined with a structured exercise program, can help adult patients recover better after surgery for colorectal (bowel) cancer. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: usual care, tailored nutritional support alone, or nutritional support combined with a structured exercise program (multimodal prehabilitation). The main goal is to find out whether either approach improves physical function 30 days after surgery, measured by how far participants can walk in 6 minutes (the 6-minute walk test). The study will also look at nutritional intake, physical function, quality of life, complications, hospital readmissions, and length of hospital stay. A total of 140 adult patients scheduled for surgery for colorectal cancer at hospitals in Northern Norway will be enrolled.Read full original descriptionShow less
ColoREctal Cancer Surgery and Multimodal pREhabilitation Assessing Tailored Nutrition vs. Exercise - An Open Label Superiority Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.
This study will test whether tailored nutritional support before surgery, alone or combined with a structured exercise program, can help adult patients recover better after surgery for colorectal (bowel) cancer. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: usual care, tailored nutritional support alone, or nutritional support combined with a structured exercise program (multimodal prehabilitation). The main goal is to find out whether either approach improves physical function 30 days after surgery, measured by how far participants can walk in 6 minutes (the 6-minute walk test). The study will also look at nutritional intake, physical function, quality of life, complications, hospital readmissions, and length of hospital stay. A total of 140 adult patients scheduled for surgery for colorectal cancer at hospitals in Northern Norway will be enrolled.
Inclusion: Patients undergoing elective colorectal cancer surgery who give informed consent and meet all of the following will be eligible:; Planned elective surgery for colorectal cancer; Age >=18 years; If neoadjuvant treatment has been given, treatment must be completed and the patient must be scheduled for surgery; Able to understand Norwegian sufficiently to receive study information, complete questionnaires, and follow written and oral instructions; Able and willing to provide written informed consent.
Exclusion: Previous participation in structured multimodal prehabilitation as part of the current cancer treatment pathway before inclusion, for example during neoadjuvant therapy; Previous major gastrointestinal surgery considered by the treating clinician to substantially affect the planned colorectal cancer surgery or postoperative recovery; No permanent address or expected hospital/institutional stay for more than 50% of the time between diagnosis and planned surgery; Known metastatic disease; Physical impairment that prevents the participant from walking for six minutes or rising independently from a chair; Planned multivisceral resection and/or complex reconstruction due to locally advanced cancer; Cognitive impairment that prevents the participant from understanding the intervention, exercise programme, questionnaires, or written and oral instructions; Severe comorbidity or other medical condition that, in the judgement of the treating clinician, precludes participation in structured exercise; Severe renal failure, including patients requiring dialysis or with clinically significant electrolyte disturbances; Ongoing severe nutritional support, such as parenteral nutrition, that limits the feasibility of the allocated intervention; Inability to use the telemedicine technology required for follow-up when telemedicine-based follow-up is planned.