
Empower your recovery with prehabilitation
Your guide to preparing mind and body for cancer surgery, improving the chances of a faster and better recovery.
Patient Resources
Information for patients and their support persons on how to prepare for cancer surgery.
- How prehab helps with recovery
- How to best prepare for surgery
- What to expect during your hospital stay
- What to expect during recovery
Health Professional Toolkit
Information for health professionals on how to implement evidence-based multi-disciplinary prehab services.
- How to setup the services
- Internal resources required
- How to deliver the service
- How to evaluate and improve

What is prehabilitation?
To get yourself ready for cancer surgery, it is important to improve your physical, emotional, nutritional and general health. A prehabilitation program is where a team work with you to help you prepare for your surgery.
Your team might include doctors, nurses, dietitians, exercise and mental health professionals, depending on the clinicians available at your hospital.
About this website
The Prep-4-Cancer Surgery Toolkit is a resource developed by people with cancer and health professionals for people with cancer and health professionals. It provides patient resources to help individuals and their families prepare for cancer surgery and health service guidance for clinicians and services to implement and deliver cancer surgery prehabilitation programs.
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Disclaimer
This website is established and maintained by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute.
Please ensure that you read the following terms and conditions carefully before using the website.
By accessing the website, you agree that you have had an opportunity to read this Disclaimer and to seek any legal advice in relation to the Disclaimer.
The information contained in this website (Information) is intended to provide general guidance only. The Information, including any recommendations, are not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and are designed to be general guidelines to support individuals with cancer undergoing major gastrointestinal and gynaecological cancer surgery. The Information is not provided as a result of any treating relationship between Peter Mac and you.
Your specialist will discuss your personalised risk and circumstances with you. Please follow any recommendations provided to you by your treating specialist.
This website contains links to other websites. Although reasonable care is taken in selecting those resources, Peter Mac accepts no responsibility for the accuracy, currency or reliability of information contained in linked external websites.
Peter Mac does not warrant that the Information is free from errors or omissions. If you identify such errors or omissions, please contact the developers at prehabtoolkit@petermac.org. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may affect the accuracy of the Information, and the Information may be changed without notice.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Peter Mac excludes all liability and any implied warranties (by legislation or otherwise) in relation to:
- the accuracy, currency, reliability, quality or suitability of the Information;
- the performance of the website, including any functionality or features;
- the security of the website or any links to external websites incorporated into the website;
- the safety of any software associated with the website or any linked website;
- title and non-infringement of third party rights; and
- merchantability or fitness of the website for any particular purpose.
Despite any provision in this Disclaimer to the contrary, Peter Mac shall not be liable for any consequential, special, incidental, indirect or punitive losses, costs, expenses or damages, whether in contract, tort or otherwise (including negligence) arising out of or in connection with the website, even if Peter Mac has been advised of the possibility of that damage.
To the extent permitted by law, Peter Mac and its officers, employees and agents will not be liable to you for any damages you may suffer or cause as a result of your access to or use of the Information and you release, indemnify and hold harmless Peter Mac from any and all claims, demands, and damages of every kind and nature (including, without limitation, actual, special, incidental and consequential), known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way connected with your use of the website.
In the event that a court determines that Peter Mac is responsible for loss or damage arising from your access to or use of this website, to the extent permitted by law, Peter Mac’s liability is limited in any event to resupplying the relevant part of the website or the reasonable cost of having it resupplied, and Peter Mac reserves its options at law as to how it may discharge its obligations in relation to liability that cannot be lawfully excluded under these terms.
Peter Mac grants you a revocable licence to download, copy and print the content on the website for your personal use only. Any commercial use such as selling or licensing the content for a fee is prohibited. You may not transfer or assign this licence to any other party.
This Disclaimer is governed by the laws in force in the State of Victoria, Australia. By visiting and using the website, you unconditionally submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria and all courts with jurisdiction to hear appeals from those courts.
We encourage you to contact the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre or a medical specialist or GP for further discussion and advice in relation to your particular medical circumstances.
Acknowledgements
Co-Principal Investigators:
- A/Prof Alicia Martin – Director of Allied Health, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Jenelle Loeliger – Manager Nutrition and Speech Pathology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Project Manager:
- Dr Christina Prickett – Clinical Psychologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Project team:
- Dr Rajib Ahmed – Consultant Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Professor Linda Denehy – Head of Allied Health Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Ben de Zoete – Manager Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Lara Edbrooke – Allied Health Research Development Lead, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Maria Ftanou – Director of Psychosocial Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- A/Prof Hilmy Ismail – Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Professor Berhard Riedel – Director of Anaesthetics, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Catherine Sinton – Clinical Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Anya Traill – Manager Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Communications Advisor:
- Maddison Gray – Communications & Media Specialist, Western & Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Services (WCMICS)
Clinical content leads:
- Dr Raj Ahmed – Consultant Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Anna Beaumont – Dietitian, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Jess Crowe – Physiotherapist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Fiona Lynch – Clinical Psychologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Lisa Nguyen – Physiotherapist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Catherine Sinton – Clinical Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Steering committee members:
- Dr Rajib Ahmed – Consultant Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Michael Barton – Deputy Manager, Western & Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Services (WCMICS)
- Hollie Bevans – Senior Dietitian, Western Health
- Professor Linda Denehy – Head of Allied Health Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Janelle Devereux and Bianca Bell – Executive Director, Health Systems Integration, North West Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN)
- Ben de Zoete – Manager Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Lara Edbrooke – Allied Health Research Development Lead, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Maria Ftanou – Director of Psychosocial Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Mr Michael Hii – Deputy Director, HPB and Upper GI Surgery, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
- A/Prof Hilmy Ismail – Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Drew Kenneady – Consumer Representative
- Mainak Majumdar – Director, Critical Care, Mercy Health
- A/Prof Alicia Martin - Director of Allied Health, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Sharyn McGowan – Allied Health Team Leader, Bendigo Health
- Fiona McKinnon – Director of Allied Health, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
- Orla McNally – Surgeon, The Royal Women’s Hospital
- Jenelle Loeliger – Manager Nutrition and Speech Pathology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Denise Mitchell – Consumer Representative
- Kathryn Pierce – Western Health Allied Health Representative, Western Health
- Amanda Piper – Head of Cancer Strategy, Cancer Council Victoria (CCV)
- Dr Christina Prickett – Clinical Psychologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Professor Berhard Riedel – Director of Anaesthetics, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Catherine Sinton – Clinical Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Anya Traill – Manager Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Chris White – Director, Cancer Centre, Bendigo Health
Contributions to content:
- Shaza Abo – Physiotherapist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Diva Baggio – Haematology Laboratory Registrar, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- A/Prof Cherie Chiang – Endocrinologist & Internal Medicine Consultant Physician, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Professor Linda Denehy – Head of Allied Health Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr. Amy Dennett – Physiotherapist, La Trobe University
- A/Prof Helena Frawley – Principal Research Fellow, Allied Health, University of Melbourne
- Dr Margaret He – Consultant Anaesthetist, Tauranga Hospital, New Zealand
- Dr Nicolette Holt – Respiratory, Sleep & Perioperative Consultant Physician, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- A/Prof Hilmy Ismail – Consultant Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Ms Alana Jones – Enhanced Recovery after Surgery Nurse Coordinator, Royal Melbourne Hospital
- Erin Laing – Dietitian, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Debra Leung – Consultant Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Tennille Lewin – Centre for Health Services Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Celia Marsten – Occupational Therapist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Walston Martis – Consultant Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Mark Nolan – Consultant Cardiologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Chad Oughton – Consultant Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Ella Sexton – Clinical Psychologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Dr Emma Tyson – Consultant Anaesthetist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- A/Prof David Westerman – Consultant Haematologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- A/Prof Jamie Young – Pain & Rehabilitation Consultant Physician, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
The project team sincerely thanks all participants from various stages of this project:
- The consumers, health professionals and other experts who participated in the co-design workshops
- The health professionals and patients from the three implementation sites including Western Health, Bendigo Health and St Vincents Hospital Melbourne.
Homepage illustration by pikisuperstar
Contact
For questions or comments related to this website, please email prehabtoolkit@petermac.org




