ReviewBJA open2026
Prehabilitation in patients with low physical fitness undergoing colorectal cancer surgery: a scoping review.
Review in BJA open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The primary treatment modality for colorectal cancer is surgery. Prehabilitation is advocated to mitigate risk and reduce complications, with benefits likely to be greatest in the least physically fit patients. There is an intersection between physical inactivity, socioeconomic deprivation and multimorbidity that increases surgical risk; however, these patients are under-represented in trials. This review aimed to scope the available evidence for prehabilitation in the least fit patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL were searched for studies investigating exercise prehabilitation in adults undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. Studies were screened for low physical fitness using pre-determined criteria. Data charting included reporting of intervention characteristics (Template for Intervention Description and Replication [TIDieR] framework), adherence, outcomes, socioeconomic status and multimorbidity. Results: Twelve studies investigating 408 patients were identified. Despite a relatively uniform high-risk patient profile, prehabilitation interventions were heterogeneous, encompassing six distinct approaches with limited tailoring to low baseline fitness. Trials reporting improved clinical outcomes demonstrated high adherence, but this was inconsistently defined and reported. Behaviour change strategies were not incorporated. No study reported socioeconomic status, and multimorbidity reporting was variable. Conclusions: Prehabilitation research in patients with colorectal cancer and low physical fitness has focused on physiological risk. Wider socioeconomic and behavioural determinants of participation require consideration. A conceptual framework is proposed to guide future practice. This emphasises comprehensive risk screening, flexible and patient-centred interventions, and strategies to optimise adherence in those high-risk patients who stand to benefit the most.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.