An interventional study of PrehabPal in Colon Cancer, sponsored by University of California, San Francisco. Completed at 3 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-04.
Sponsored by University of California, San Francisco · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
This is a multi-center, randomized trial investigating the use of PrehabPal web app versus a written surgery prehabilitation instructions among individuals aged 65 years and older preparing for colon cancer surgery. PrehabPal is a web app designed with, and for, older adults preparing for surgery at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). This app has the potential to fill a crucial clinical gap for older cancer patients by designing an individualized prehabilitation program and providing prehabilitation coaching.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:
I. Determine the effectiveness of PrehabPal in delivering prehabilitation and improving outcomes for elders who undergo colorectal cancer surgery.
SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
I. Determine the impact of PrehabPal on surgical outcomes and functional recovery compared to standard written surgery prehabilitation materials.
OUTLINE:
Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions. Study participation will continue for up to 12 weeks, with intervention 7-21 days before surgery and a follow-up visit 8 weeks after surgery.
1,432 studies on the registry are indexed under Colonic Neoplasms; 357 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 132 is above the median of 90 across 1,034 interventional studies indexed under Colonic Neoplasms.
Browse Colonic Neoplasms studies →University of California, San Francisco is the lead sponsor of 2,132 studies on the registry; 375 are open to participants now.
Of its 262 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 196 (75%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Documentation of a colorectal diagnosis as evidenced by the following criteria:
a. Biopsy proven colorectal cancer or unresectable neoplastic polyp.
Exclusion Criteria:
Web app based initial geriatric assessment will be given followed by daily tailored prehabilitation activities in the domains of exercise, nutrition, anxiety reduction, home preparation, and advanced care planning. Each participant is paired with a central health coach who monitors engagement and provides support through the Web app portal.
Behavioral: PrehabPal
Participants will be provided paper-based prehabilitation instructions that include information about exercise, nutrition, anxiety reduction, home preparation, and advanced care planning. A paper diary is provided to record any prehabilitation activities.
Web based application
Proportion of days before surgery engaged in prehabilitation
The proportion of days before surgery engaged in prehabilitation between subjects randomized to the PrehabPal Web App and written prehabilitation materials using logistic regression. Since sites may not balance, all relevant sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the subjects may be included in the models which will include other factors that are not balanced between the sites.
Time frame: Up to 14 days
Proportion of participants with reported Surgical Complications
Incidence of reported adverse events 30 days after surgery will be classified according to the Clavien-Dindo complications index.
Time frame: 30 days following surgery
Median Length of Stay (LOS)
The median time from surgery until discharge from hospital will be reported.
Time frame: Post procedure until discharge, approximately 2 days
Readmission Rate
The proportion of participants who were re-admitted to the hospital within 30 days of surgery will be reported.
Time frame: 30 days following surgery
Change in Mean score on the SF-36
Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey: includes 36 items or questions that assess functional health and well-being from the perspective of the patient. The items contribute to eight health domains of physical functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems and mental health. The eight domains all contribute to physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores Each scale is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale on the assumption that each question carries equal weight. The lower the score the more disability. The higher the score the less disability. The calculated composite scores of the Physical Component Scale (PCS) and the Mental Component Scale (MCS) scores of the SF-36 will be measured at baseline and 8 weeks post surgery
Time frame: Up to 8 weeks
Median Satisfaction Scores
Patient-participant reported satisfaction with the PrehabPal web app and the paper-mode activities diary will be measured via a survey created by the investigators in REDCap.
Time frame: 8 weeks post-surgery
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of California, San Francisco