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IMPROVE UK, Belfast

Prehabilitation for older and frail patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

Lead by Dr Stephen Dobbs.

The background

Currently, elderly, frail patients may not be considered suitable for or struggle with standard treatment (surgery + chemotherapy) and potentially face poorer outcomes.

The plan

The pilot will set up a dedicated central clinic to assess frailty in patients with advanced ovarian cancer in Northern Ireland and implement prehabilitation pathways to improve patient fitness when undergoing treatment (surgery and chemotherapy) for ovarian cancer. 

The programme is designed to identify frail patients at an early stage provide a clear pathway for diagnosis and management and aim to improve the overall condition of the patient before surgery. Women with advanced ovarian cancer will be offered a prehabilitation programme before surgery with the aim of improving their overall fitness prior to major surgery. In turn, this will improve their postoperative recovery.

Patients who are undergoing chemotherapy before surgery will be assessed and diagnosed earlier in their pathway leading to a quicker start to their treatment.