Introduction: This study evaluates the course of physical fitness and nutritional status during curative therapy for
esophageal cancer, after implementation of a prehabilitation program. Additionally, the impact of baseline
physical fitness level and severe postoperative complications on the course of individual patients were explored.
Materials and methods: This multicenter, observational cohort study included patients with esophageal cancer
following curative treatment. Prehabilitation, consisting of supervised exercise training and nutritional counseling
was offered as standard care to patients after neoadjuvant therapy, prior to surgery. Primary outcome
measures included change of exercise capacity, hand grip strength, self-reported physical functioning, Body Mass
Index, and malnutrition risk from diagnosis to 2–6 months postoperatively. Analyses over time were performed
using linear mixed models, and linear mixed regression models to investigate the impact of baseline level and
severe postoperative complications.
Results: Hundred sixty-eight patients were included (mean age 65.9 ± 8.6 years; 78.0 % male). All parameters
(except for malnutrition risk) showed a decline during neoadjuvant therapy (p < .05), an improvement during
prehabilitation (p < .005) and a decline postoperatively (p < .001), with a high heterogeneity between patients.
Change in the outcomes from baseline to postoperatively was not different for patients with or without a severe
complication. Better baseline physical fitness and nutritional status were significantly associated with a greater
decline postoperatively (p < .001).
Conclusion: This study demonstrates a notable decline during neoadjuvant therapy, that fully recovers during
prehabilitation, and a subsequent long lasting decline postoperatively. The heterogeneity in the course of
physical fitness and nutritional status underlines the importance of individualized monitoring.
