Helping cancer patients recover stronger | News

After completing an 18-month pilot study, Royal Surrey’s PRIME Prehabilitation Team has launched a rehabilitation service for cancer patients who are recovering from upper gastrointestinal, ovarian and bladder surgery. 

The team led by allied health professionals is responsible for preparing cancer patients for surgery ahead of their treatment and is now extending this to include 12 weeks’ rehabilitation after surgery. 

Rachel Brown, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist and Team Lead, said: “It’s well recognised that prehabilitation is important for patients before they have their surgery, as it helps optimise them mentally and physically, improving resilience and recovery. 

“What our team has now identified is that there is a gap in rehabilitation after surgery for cancer patients undergoing higher risk surgeries, and that post-surgery rehabilitation can significantly improve recovery and quality of life.”

In 2024, the PRIME team, which includes physiotherapists, occupational therapists and dietitians, decided to carry out a small feasibility study looking at how far patients deteriorated after surgery. They looked at whether more intervention was needed, and if extending prehabilitation support to continue after surgery could make a difference to recovery.

Results from the study of 30 patients revealed success across the board with fantastic feedback from those taking part. The pilot demonstrated that while patients experienced a decline in physical fitness and mental wellbeing post-surgery, the introduction of structured rehabilitation significantly improved physical recovery outcomes, enhancing capability, strength, and overall quality of life.

The results of the study encouraged the team to carry out a service review, helping identify where changes could be made to streamline provision and enable the addition of a rehabilitation programme. The result is the launch of 'PRIME School,' which amalgamates the education component of prehab into a 'one stop' virtual clinic that will be held monthly for all patients referred to the service. 

This will reduce the number of appointments given to patients who do not need one-to-one input, freeing up clinical capacity for exercise classes post surgery, either online or in person. 

The PRIME Team has since presented the results of their successful pilot at the Royal Marsden Exercise Oncology Study Day and will be attending the International Conference of Physiotherapy and Oncology in Dublin later this year to showcase their achievements further. 

Rachel added: “I’m immensely proud of what the PRIME Team has achieved. We’re thrilled to be able to give patients the opportunity to become stronger, overcome the challenges they might have faced during treatment and help them live well after cancer.”