Cancer prehabilitation and recovery: taking back control after diagnosis
A cancer diagnosis can leave you feeling helpless—as though your future rests entirely in the hands of medicine. Your cancer team provides essential treatment, but research shows that there are also meaningful steps you can take to support your health and, in some circumstances, improve your chances of survival. A personalised exercise and recovery programme can help you become an active participant in your care, giving you practical ways to build strength, improve fitness and regain confidence.
At The Institute of Survival in Winchester, we combine medical assessment, supervised exercise, physiotherapy and nutritional support to help people prepare for cancer treatment and recover afterwards. Our medically supervised cancer prehabilitation and rehabilitation programme starts with your current abilities, symptoms and needs. You do not need to be fit to begin.
Supporting the whole person alongside cancer treatment
The NHS provides excellent cancer treatment, with specialist teams delivering medicines, radiotherapy and surgery. Living with cancer also brings wider challenges: maintaining strength, managing fatigue, eating well and staying independent. Although NHS services provide rehabilitation and supportive care, access and availability vary. Not everyone can receive the ongoing, coordinated support they need throughout treatment and recovery.
This is where The Institute of Survival steps in. We bring exercise, physiotherapy, nutrition and medical assessment together in a programme focused on your health, circumstances and goals.
Our programme complements conventional cancer treatment. It does not replace surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy or other treatment recommended by your cancer team. We do not promote non-evidence-based cancer therapies.
Exercise and cancer survival: what the research shows
Structured exercise can do more than improve how you feel. The CHALLENGE randomised trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025, demonstrated better survival in people who had received surgery and chemotherapy for stage III or high-risk stage II colon cancer. Among 889 participants, eight-year survival was 90.3% with a three-year supported exercise programme, compared with 83.2% with health education—an absolute difference of 7.1 percentage points. Five-year disease-free survival was also higher: 80.3% versus 73.9%. Read the CHALLENGE trial.
The researchers reported “significantly longer disease-free survival and findings consistent with longer overall survival.” Exercise was added to surgery and chemotherapy, showing that an active, supported approach can make a meaningful difference alongside conventional treatment. The survival benefit demonstrated relates to the patients and programme studied; it has not been established for every cancer or for our service.
Across cancer care, research also supports exercise for improving fitness, muscle strength, fatigue and quality of life. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends: “Oncology providers should recommend regular aerobic and resistance exercise during active treatment with curative intent.” Your programme should translate this evidence into activity that is appropriate for your health, treatment and starting point. Read the ASCO guideline.
Cancer prehabilitation: preparing for treatment and surgery
Cancer prehabilitation means supporting your physical health before treatment begins. It can combine exercise, nutrition and attention to medical needs to help you prepare for the demands ahead.
In the PREHAB randomised trial, published in JAMA Surgery in 2023, four weeks of supervised exercise, nutritional support and psychological support reduced severe complications after colorectal cancer surgery: 17.1% with prehabilitation, compared with 29.7% with standard care. Preparation should fit around your cancer pathway without delaying necessary treatment. Read the PREHAB trial.
Personalised exercise, physiotherapy and nutrition
We begin with a medical assessment of your cancer treatment, symptoms, other health conditions and current physical function. With your consent, we can liaise with your treating team to help coordinate your support.
Your plan may combine supervised aerobic and strength training with physiotherapy, balance and mobility work. Nutritional support can help you manage changes in appetite, eating and weight while supporting strength. Where clinically appropriate, investigations may include selected blood tests, ECG, body composition assessment and cardiopulmonary exercise testing, also known as CPET or CPEX.
Before treatment, the focus may be preparation. During treatment, it may be maintaining function and managing fatigue. Afterwards, it may be rebuilding strength, confidence and independence. Regular review allows us to adapt your programme as your symptoms, treatment and abilities change.
Exercise needs particular care when there are bone metastases, significant anaemia, heart problems, neuropathy or other treatment-related complications. Individual assessment helps determine when activities need modification or specialist input. Read the international exercise guidelines.
Reflecting England’s National Cancer Plan
The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, recognises personalised care, physical activity, prehabilitation and rehabilitation as important parts of cancer support. It commits to “Set new standards for prehabilitation and rehabilitation through cancer manuals” and supports more accessible care in community settings. Our approach reflects these priorities, without implying NHS endorsement or commissioning of our service. Read the National Cancer Plan.
Cancer recovery support in Winchester
Taking back a sense of control begins with achievable steps and the right support. The Institute of Survival helps you turn research into a practical plan, with evidence-based care shaped around your treatment, abilities and goals.
Contact The Institute of Survival to discuss a personalised cancer prehabilitation or recovery programme in Winchester.
Research and guidance
Courneya and colleagues, CHALLENGE trial, New England Journal of Medicine, 2025.
Molenaar and colleagues, PREHAB trial, JAMA Surgery, 2023.
Ligibel and colleagues, ASCO guideline on exercise during cancer treatment, 2022.
Campbell and colleagues, international exercise guidelines for cancer survivors, 2019.