Prehabilitation for functional conditioning and postoperative outcomes in oncological abdominal surgery: A literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62827/fb.v27i5.1231Keywords:
Preoperative Exercise; Preoperative Care; Abdominal Neoplasms; Physical Therapy Modalities; Postoperative Complications.Abstract
Introduction: Surgery is the main curative treatment for solid abdominal tumours, but it is associated with high morbidity and functional decline, particularly in elderly, frail or low-reserve patients. Prehabilitation combines multimodal preoperative interventions of physical exercise, nutritional optimisation and psychological support, proposed to enhance functional capacity before the surgical insult and favour recovery. Objective: The available evidence on prehabilitation in patients undergoing oncological abdominal surgery was described, with emphasis on functional conditioning, operative risk, and postoperative recovery. Methods: A narrative literature review was carried out. Searches were conducted between August and November 2025 in the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), accessed through PubMed, the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and the Cochrane Library, using descriptors from the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) vocabularies combined with Boolean operators. Selection was performed by reading titles and abstracts and then full texts. Results: There is consistent improvement in preoperative functional capacity, mainly measured by the six-minute walk test, and an indication of a reduction in pulmonary complications, although part of this evidence derives from surgical populations not restricted to oncology; effects on severe complications and mortality remain inconsistent. Benefits appear more pronounced in multimodal, supervised programmes targeting higher-risk patients. A practical model for risk stratification and clinical indication is proposed. Conclusion: Prehabilitation is a physiologically plausible strategy, consistent with physiotherapeutic and multiprofessional practice, although its routine incorporation should be gradual and supported by more robust evidence.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rafael Viana dos Santos Coutinho, Laís Silva de Toledo, Giulia Malaco Fernandino, João Vitor de Mello Carvalho Pimenta, Adriana Mattedi Soares (Autor)
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