Prehab for Pancreatic Cancer Surgery
Purpose
The goal of this clinical study is to test whether a structured prehabilitation program can be successfully used by adults with pancreatic cancer who are receiving chemotherapy before planned surgery. Prehabilitation is a program designed to improve a person's physical fitness, nutrition, and symptom control before surgery. The study's main hypothesis is that patients with pancreatic cancer can take part in and adhere to a multimodal prehabilitation program during chemotherapy, and that doing so may improve physical function, patient experience, and early recovery after surgery.
Conditions
- Pancreatic Cancer, Adult
- Prehabilitation
Eligibility
- Eligible Ages
- Over 18 Years
- Eligible Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- Age ≥ 18 years - Diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) - Planned neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to planned surgical resection - Medically stable and cleared to participate in physical activity/exercise programming - Able to provide informed consent - Ability to read, write and understand English
Exclusion Criteria
- Age <18 years - Pregnant - Prisoner - Severe cognitive impairment that precludes informed consent or participation - Contraindications to physical activity, including unstable cardiac disease, severe pulmonary disease, or recent myocardial infarction
Study Design
- Phase
- N/A
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- N/A
- Intervention Model
- Single Group Assignment
- Primary Purpose
- Supportive Care
- Masking
- None (Open Label)
Arm Groups
| Arm | Description | Assigned Intervention |
|---|---|---|
|
Experimental Multimodal Prehabilitation Program |
Participants in this single-arm study will receive a structured prehabilitation program during neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to planned pancreatic cancer surgery. |
|
Recruiting Locations
Worester, Massachusetts 01655
More Details
- Status
- Recruiting
- Sponsor
- University of Massachusetts, Worcester
Detailed Description
This is a single-center, prospective pilot study designed to evaluate the implementation of a standardized, multimodal prehabilitation program delivered during neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to pancreatic cancer surgery. The intervention is integrated into routine preoperative care and includes coordinated physical activity, nutritional optimization, and supportive care components delivered throughout the neoadjuvant treatment period. Assessments are performed at baseline, after completion of the prehabilitation period and before surgery, and approximately one month after surgery to characterize participation, intervention delivery, and perioperative changes in functional and clinical measures. Data collection includes standardized functional fitness assessments, patient-reported surveys, and abstraction of perioperative clinical data from the electronic medical record. Analyses are descriptive and exploratory, reflecting the pilot nature of the study, and are intended to characterize feasibility, adherence, and variability of measured outcomes rather than to test efficacy. Findings from this study will be used to refine intervention delivery, identify logistical and patient-level barriers, and inform the design of future larger-scale studies evaluating prehabilitation in pancreatic cancer surgery.