Effect of Prehabilitation on Recovery Outcomes in Post-Surgical Cervical Cancer Women

Summary

This parallel-group randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a four-week multimodal prehabilitation programme on pelvic function and quality of life among women with cervical cancer undergoing radical hysterectomy. Thirty-nine eligible participants were randomly allocated to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group received a supervised multimodal prehabilitation programme comprising aerobic exercise, pelvic floor muscle training, progressive resistance training, flexibility exercises, breathing exercises, and patient education for four weeks prior to surgery, while the control group received standard preoperative care. Following radical hysterectomy, both groups underwent an identical postoperative rehabilitation programme.

Pelvic function was assessed using transabdominal ultrasound by measuring bladder base displacement during voluntary pelvic floor muscle contraction. Pelvic floor symptoms were evaluated using the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20), and health-related quality of life was assessed using a validated quality-of-life questionnaire. Outcome assessments were performed at baseline, four weeks before surgery prior to initiation of the intervention, and repeated four weeks after surgery. The study investigated whether a structured prehabilitation programme improved pelvic function, reduced pelvic floor-related symptoms, and enhanced postoperative quality of life compared with standard preoperative care among women undergoing radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer.

Conditions

• Cervical Adenocarcinoma
• Hysterectomy
• Cervical Cancer

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Structured Prehabilitation Protocol

The prehabilitation intervention in this study is distinguished by its multimodal, time-bound and individualized design delivered during the preoperative window. Unlike conventional preoperative care, the program integrated aerobic conditioning, progressive resistance training and targeted pelvic floor muscle training with a structured 4-week protocol, providing 60 minutes of supervised daily exercise. Pelvic floor training emphasized correct muscle activation, endurance and coordination using standardized repetitions, while resistance exercises targeted both upper and lower limb muscle groups with graded external resistance. Exercise intensity and progression were individualized based on functional capacity, ensuring feasibility for women with moderate functional limitation. Both study groups received identical postoperative rehabilitation, allowing the isolated effect of prehabilitation on recovery outcomes,differentiating this intervention from other perioperative studies.

BEHAVIORAL

Conventional

The control group received conventional preoperative care for the same duration, which included free exercises, breathing exercises and walking, without structured resistance or pelvic floor-specific training.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Saveetha University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

40 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-06-17

Primary Completion

2026-02-07

Completion

2026-04-22

Countries

• India

Study Locations