A cancer diagnosis can be an incredibly stressful time for all involved and our specialists know that there are many positives to having good preparation, or ‘prehabilitation’.
Shape Up 4 Cancer Surgery is a programme to help support you in your cancer journey, working to make you feel better physically and mentally. The team is here to help you take an active role in your cancer care and live as well as possible with and beyond cancer
Physical activity, eating well and psychological support are all key to getting you back to good health following your surgery.
Who is this for?
Patients are currently invited to take part in the programme from specific cancer groups, including bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and stomach and oesophageal cancer.
If you are invited to take part in the Shape Up 4 Cancer Surgery programme, you will be asked to come to hospital for a ‘one-stop’ assessment clinic, where you will have all the preparation you need for surgery in one appointment. This includes meeting some of the people involved in your care, such as a dietitian, cancer exercise specialist and specialist nurses.
Why exercise?
Being active and exercising is one part of preparation for cancer treatment. Active Leeds for Health is a team within Leeds City Council delivering exercise and movement to
improve people’s health, with personalised activity support for people newly diagnosed with cancer.
Exercise programmes prior to major surgery have been shown to be safe, can increase fitness, and reduce surgery and recovery complication rates.
At the beginning of the programme, specialist cancer fitness coordinator will work through a fitness test to simply create a baseline of how your body responds to exercise. They will be looking at lung capacity, flexibility, strength and endurance and this will take place in a Leeds City Council leisure centre. Read more on the Exercise pages.
The idea then is to create a programme around each patient, looking at goals and progress suited to them.
Research shows that regular exercise, a healthy diet and good mental wellbeing before, during and after cancer treatment can help patients in many ways including:
- Being able to tolerate cancer treatment better
- Increased access to previously unsuitable treatments
- Fewer complications from surgery
- Feeling less tired and having a better mood
- Spending less days in hospital
- Less chance of the cancer coming back
Is this safe?
Exercise programmes prior to major surgery have been shown to be safe, can increase fitness and reduce complication rates. Anaesthetists say that the stronger your lungs, the easier any operation is for your body to recover.
What other support is available?
A number of additional support services will be available to patients. These include, but are not limited to:
- Dietician input to improve your nutrition and make sure your body is getting the right vitamins and minerals
- Geriatrician input to assess frailty
- Stopping smoking service
We are also very fortunate to call upon the expertise of Maggie’s Yorkshire. Maggie’s is a cancer support centre working with Shape Up 4 Cancer Surgery in partnership with Macmillan. Their centre is a warm, welcoming place built on the grounds of St James’s Hospital, offers free support and is open to patients and their friends and family. Read more about Maggie’s Centres.