Preliminary Results of an Exercise Program After Laparoscopic Resective Colorectal Cancer Surgery in Non-Metastatic Adenocarcinoma: A Pilot Study of a Randomized Control Trial

Abstract

Background and objectives: Performing physical exercise after a colorectal cancer diagnosis is associated with lower mortality related to the tumor itself. In order to improve physical recovery after elective surgery, there are no specific exercise protocols after discharge from the hospital. The purpose of this study is to show the preliminary results of an exercise program after colorectal cancer surgery. Materials and Methods: Six patients with non-metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma addressed to respective laparoscopic were randomly assigned to a mixed supervised/home-based exercise program for six months and compared to a control group without exercise. To assess the effectiveness of the program, functional and body composition parameters were evaluated. Results: Three months after surgery, the exercise group increased flexibility (p <0.01, ES = 0.33), strength of lower limbs (p <0.01, ES = 0.42) and aerobic capacity (p <0.01, ES = 0.28). After surgery, the six patients experienced a significant reduction in body mass index (BMI) and free fat mass. More specifically, fat mass reached the lowest values, with a concomitant increase in cell mass after six months (p <0.01, ES = 0.33). This did not occur in the control group. Conclusions: Colorectal cancer treatment induces a reduction in physical function, particularly during the first six months after treatment. A mixed exercise approach appears promising in countering this process after colorectal cancer surgery.

Evaluation of a Post-Operative Rehabilitation Program in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Colorectal Cancer Surgery: A Pilot Study

“…Gillis et al [ 15 ] achieved improvements in functional capacity in a patient undergoing both prehabilitation and rehabilitation physical exercise, or rehabilitation alone. A recent pilot RCT by Mascherini et al [ 12 ] showed the promising, preliminary results of a mixed exercise approach using 1 month of supervised resistance exercise and unsupervised home-based aerobic exercise, followed by unsupervised home-based aerobic exercise alone on non-metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma, in providing faster recovery after surgery. Our data also showed a statistically significant difference in phase angle between the intervention group and control group at T3 in favor of the IG.…”

“…Most of the included studies investigated the effect of exercise offered several weeks or months after the end of active treatment (time beyond treatment ranging between 2 months and 5 years in 10 out of 16 studies included). The literature concerning the role of physical exercise after surgery is less consistent [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. To our knowledge, the literature lacks studies investigating the effect of an early, combined, and supervised physical exercise program on QoL in patients that have undergone surgical treatment for colorectal cancer.…”