THE Royal Surrey County Hospital is getting cancer patients fit for high-risk surgery as part of a new clinical trial.

Patients will receive a 15-week prehabiltation, or “prehab”, programme, with an exercise scientist to prepare them for surgical procedures.

The study is aimed at patients who are facing a 10 hour long operation for oesophageal and stomach cancer.

Prior to surgery this group of patients usually undergo nine weeks of chemotherapy and in most cases their fitness levels deteriorate.

It is hoped patients at the Guildford hospital, who have undergone the ‘prehab’ programme will be fitter and as a result their bodies will be better prepared for surgery and to deal with any complications that may arise from this major high risk surgery.

The trial is randomised, which means half of the patients will receive the ‘prehab’ programme, while the other half continue with ‘standard care’. Those receiving ‘prehab’ will benefit from two, one-hour long fitness sessions per week, exercises to complete at home three days a week and six sessions with a medical coach to help keep them motivated.

Javed Sultan, consultant oesophago-gastric and laparoscopic Surgeon said: “This is the biggest operation you can have as a patient at this hospital.

“It is major insult to the body and like being hit by a bus.” said the consultant, who is leading the trial with Sophie Allen, surgical registrar.

“We hope the trial will improve fitness levels and ultimately outcomes for patients and will show that if a patient is fitter, then their body is better prepared to deal with any complications that occur with a quicker recovery,” the doctor added.

The trust has already recruited 30 patients to the study, which has been funded by Macmillan Cancer Research, and hopes to sign up 50 participants in total.