Patient-centered Breast Cancer Teleprehabilitation

Patient-centered Teleprehabilitation for Women With Breast Cancer: a Feasibility Study

Surgery, the cornerstone of most cancer treatments, is associated with considerable postoperative complications. Adjusting patients' health behavior before surgery may have beneficial effects on postoperative outcomes.

Women (n=50) who will undergo breast surgery because of stage I-III breast cancer are eligible. All participants will receive multimodal patient-centered teleprehabilitation comprising of motivational interviewing, education, exercise therapy, and stress management.

Feasibility, participation rate, patient satisfaction, intervention safety, and treatment adherence will be monitored as primary outcomes. Fatigue, pain, quality of life (QoL), physical activity levels, perceived injustice, self-efficacy, and healthcare use are secondary outcomes and will be assessed by self-reported questionnaires at baseline, 0-, 2-, and 6 months post-intervention.

Proof of concept for using telecommunication and exercise therapy in prehabilitation prior to breast cancer surgery is available. We expect the proposed intervention to be feasible and effective at reducing fatigue, pain, perceived injustice, and healthcare use, and at improving treatment adherence, QoL, physical activity levels, and self-efficacy.

Effective prehabilitation interventions can reduce the long-term symptoms that arise/persist beyond treatment completion, improving patients' QoL. By using telecommunication technologies, socio-economic barriers can be reduced, making care accessible to all.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years or older
• Scheduled for primary breast surgery because of stage I-III breast cancer
• Able to speak and read Dutch fluently

Exclusion Criteria:

• Stage IV breast cancer
• A medical contra-indication for physical activity
• Not being able to access a computer or mobile device at home