About PANACEA

Many different factors can impact ovarian cancer treatments and outcomes. One important factor to consider is frailty. Frailty is the decreased ability to do physical tasks leading to the loss of independence, poor health outcomes, and a greater susceptibility to disease. While frailty is associated with ageing, poor nutrition, inactivity and living alone increase the risk of being frail.

Frailty is of concern for individuals with ovarian cancer as it can lead to longer stays in hospital and challenges tolerating cancer treatments. Frailty can also increase the risk of post-surgery complications and poorer survival.

Frailty can be prevented using exercise to improve physical fitness before undergoing cancer treatments. This is referred to as prehabilitation. Thus, exercise-based prehabilitation programs have the potential to improve treatment outcomes for individuals with ovarian cancer.

The purpose of this study will be to collect information on the benefits of a 4+ week prehabilitation exercise program on frailty and post-surgery outcomes in individuals with ovarian cancer.