PICaSO

PICaSO is a randomized control trial that is exploring a new method of improving outcomes of patients undergoing major surgery for GI cancers, known as prehabilitation. Prehabilitation involves improving a patient’s physical and mental conditioning before surgery to hopefully improves outcomes after major surgery. PICaSO will investigate the effects of prehabilitation on health-related quality of life, length of stay, ad post-operative complications. Patients will be randomized to either the Prehabilitation Arm or the Control Arm (usual care). The prehab arm will be prescribed both physical and psychological prehab prior to undergoing surgery for their GI cancer. The usual care group will be counseled to continue their current level of activity and given the information on exercise as outlined in the Cancer Care Ontario guidelines. Patients in both trial arms will be given the same Fitbit activity tracker in order to eliminate the activity tracker as an intervention itself and to be able to track the activity levels of both patient groups for comparison. Clinical, patient-reported outcomes and health system outcomes will be evaluated. Outcomes will be measured at consent (baseline), immediately preoperatively, and postoperatively at 1, 3 and 6 months.

This method of prehabilitation could represent a paradigm shift in the way we currently prepare cancer patients for surgery; therefore, this study has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes. Dr. Anand Govindarajan, Surgical Oncologist, is the Sponsor-Investigator for the PICaSO trial. Recruitment for the trial will be happening at both Mount Sinai Hospital and the University Health Network.

If you are a patient on trial or have any questions regarding the trial, please contact (416) 586-4800 x4990