Effect of Preoperative Lifestyle Management and Prehabilitation on Postoperative Capability of Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The surgical intervention serves as the paramount and prevalent remedy for individuals afflicted with colorectal malignancies, with the significance of perioperative stewardship and convalescence being indisputable. Prehabilitation coupled with preoperative lifestyle modulation has demonstrated efficacy in patients subjected to certain classifications of abdominal procedures. However, the evidence pertaining to its impact on those battling colorectal cancer remains equivocal. Methods: A meta-analysis, grounded in pairwise contrast, of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was orchestrated, coupled with a systematic review, to probe the efficacy of preoperative lifestyle modulation and prehabilitation on patients’ postoperative functionality and recuperation. An exhaustive exploration of 8 electronic databases and trial registries was undertaken to encompass all pertinent RCTs disseminated in English or Chinese from January 2012 through December 2022. Employing a random-effects model, we evaluated parameters such as the 6-minute walk test (6 MWT), complications, quality of life (QoL), aggregate and postoperative duration of hospitalization (tLHS and postLHS), and healthcare expenditure (HExp) for postoperative patients. Results: A total of 28 RCTs were incorporated into the systematic review and meta-analysis. Relative to conventional preoperative care, rehabilitation or preoperative lifestyle management was found to enhance postoperative 6MWT (SMD 1.30, 95% CI 0.30 to 2.29) and diminish the complication rate (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.69). Nonetheless, no significant discrepancies were observed in QoL (SMD 1.81, 95% CI −0.26 to 3.87), tLHS (SMD −0.26, 95% CI −0.68 to 0.15), and postLHS (SMD −1.46, 95% CI −3.12 to 0.20) between the groups. HExp could not be evaluated due to a lack of sufficient data for synthesis. Most pooled outcomes exhibited significant heterogeneity, urging a cautious interpretation. Subgroup analysis revealed that nutritional interventions could mitigate the incidence of complications, and preoperative exercise could improve tLHS and postLHS. A combined approach of physical, nutritional, and psychological intervention or prehabilitation proved superior to any single intervention in enhancing postoperative capabilities. Conclusion: This meta-analysis delineated the efficacy of preoperative interventions on postoperative capabilities in patients with colorectal cancer, thereby offering evidence for clinical practice. It was concluded that preoperative interventions are unequivocally beneficial for postoperative functional recovery and the reduction of complication rates in patients with colorectal cancer. Nonetheless, the acquisition of more high-level evidence is still necessitated to further ascertain the effectiveness of this strategy for other patient groups and to establish its best practices. The heterogeneity in the pooled outcomes underlines the need for future studies to be more uniform in their design and reporting, which would facilitate more robust and reliable meta-analyses.