Preoperative physical activity is associated with prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing thoracoscopic–laparoscopic esophagectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Objective This study examined the association between a single preoperative physiotherapy session during neoadjuvant chemotherapy and physical function and that between preoperative physical activity and prognosis. Methods In this retrospective, single-center, observational study, we evaluated data from 234 patients scheduled for neoadjuvant chemotherapy and thoracoscopic–laparoscopic esophagectomy who underwent a single preoperative physiotherapy session. The five-repetition sit-to-stand test was performed before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, patients were classified into high- and low-physical activity groups based on preoperative physical activity. To examine the association between preoperative physiotherapy and changes in physical function, a multivariate regression analysis was performed. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the association between preoperative physical activity and overall survival. Results The median percentage change in the five-repetition sit-to-stand test score was − 3.36%. In the multivariate regression analysis, the regression coefficient of the constant term was − 23.93 (95% confidence interval − 45.31 to − 2.56; P = 0.028). Low physical activity was significantly associated with overall survival after adjustment for confounding factors ( P = 0.040). Conclusions This study demonstrated that a single preoperative physiotherapy session during neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves physical function, and preoperative physical activity is significantly associated with prognosis.