What is Prehabilitation for Cancer?

Cancer Prehabilitation is a process of continuous care from your cancer diagnosis to the beginning of your acute treatment.

When you're newly diagnosed, you're usually going to look for second or third opinions. You're emotionally and physically stressed, possibly in pain and looking for a transition into chemo and surgery.

Prehab interventions, given between the time of cancer diagnosis and the beginning of treatment, improve patients' health and stamina.

For example, prehab can help address emotional distress and provide exercises to help certain problem areas that could be affected due to surgery or chemotherapy.

How can survivors and their doctors find out more about the STAR Program prehab and rehab?

Rehabilitation physician and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Julie Silver, shares what cancer prehabilitation is and how it can help you before, throughout and after treatment.