Prehabilitation is a holistic suite of interventions to prepare patients for surgery. There is now strong evidence that after cancer diagnosis, but before surgery, lifestyle changes such as exercise, improved nutrition, and smoking cessation, can have a positive impact on patient's response to surgical cancer treatment. However, there is little understanding about what New Zealand patients with breast cancer, and in particular Māori patients need in terms of their wellbeing in the time between cancer diagnosis and surgery and how this compares to the understanding of prehabilitation that healthcare providers have.
This study aims to bridge this gap with the aim of improving understanding and ultimately knowing what support and care to give to breast cancer patients.
The results will form the basis of new patient co-designed prehabilitation programme in breast cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand. The project has a prespecified focus on Māori patients who continue to have the worst outcomes in breast cancer. Identification of patients’ needs will have important impacts on future research and cancer pathway planning. It is hoped to achieve greater clinical translation and ultimately improve outcomes in breast cancer patients and that the processes underpinning this study and its findings will inform research approaches to other underrepresented groups of interest to ANZCA researchers, such as the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
Dr Marta Seretny, University of Auckland New Zealand & Auckland City Hospital
Professor Simon Mitchell, University of Auckland New Zealand & Auckland City Hospital.
Co-Investigators: Dr Hanna Van Waart, Professor Jenny Weller, Mrs Elizabeth Kanivatoa, University of Auckland New Zealand.
The project was awarded $A60,222 funding through the ANZCA research grants program for 2023.