Background: Cancer surgery is associated with risk of complications and loss of function. Vulnerability factors, such as advanced age, malnutrition, smoking, comorbidity, frailty, and low socioeconomic status increase the risk. Lifestyle intervention prior to surgery, known as prehabilitation, often include physical activity, nutritional support, psychological coaching, and smoking cessation, increase functional reserves and reduce postoperative complications. Most importantly, it prevents loss of functional capacity and dependence.
Methods: The dHOPE study is a three-armed, open-labelled, parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT) with non-inferiority design to compare a digital home-based prehabilitation program with a hospital-based program or no organized prehabilitation. In addition, the dHOPE study aims to identify measurable parameters reflecting the effect of prehabilitation, thus preparing for future personalization of the prehabilitation programs.
Discussion: The feasibility of multimodal prehabilitation is threatened by low compliance to hospital-based programs due to burdensome commuting, even in central and metropolitan areas. In sparsely populated countries, this challenge is even more pronounced. To ensure equal healthcare to all citizens regardless of address or economic situation, there is a need to transfer the prehabilitation program to the patients' homes. Thus, the primary hypothesis of dHOPE is that a digital home-based program is not inferior to a hospital-based program. Moreover, given the patient diversity, prehabilitation must be personalized to meet individual profiles or needs. An exploratory subtask of dHOPE is to confirm the utility of clinical, genetic, and molecular factors in evaluating prehabilitation response ultimately to identify new biomarkers and develop medical software for individual risk stratification and development of personalized prehabilitation programs.
Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier (NCT06231576).
Keywords: colorectal cancer; decentralized healthcare; digitalization; exercise training; nutrition; personalized medicine; prehabilitation.
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