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High-intensity interval training (HIIT) gets men fit quickly for cancer surgery, according to a study conducted by researchers from the BRC’s Musculoskeletal (MSK) Theme, based at the University of Nottingham Royal Derby Hospital Centre.

A study of 40 patients found that HIIT made an improvement to the heart and lung (cardiorespiratory) function of men with urological cancers including prostate, bladder, or kidney cancer. In addition, blood pressure was reduced by HIIT and leg muscle thickness increased.

In the paper published in a Nature journal, researchers demonstrated how a group of older cancer patients with an average age of 72, gained significant benefit from a cycling-based HIIT programme completed in the month leading up to their cancer operations.

Based on previous studies looking at cardiorespiratory fitness before operations, the results of this study suggest that this HIIT regime may have the potential to reduce complications or death during and after surgery.

In the UK, cancer of the prostate, kidney and bladder are common, with over 69,000 new diagnoses each year. Surgery carries a high risk of complications and many patients struggle to regain their previous levels of physical ability.

Dr Bethan Phillips, Associate Professor of Clinical, Metabolic & Molecular Physiology at the BRC MSK Theme, is co-senior author of this paper. This work was led by Dr James Blackwell, a surgical trainee from the Royal Derby Hospital during his PhD at the University of Nottingham’s School of Medicine.

Dr Phillips said: “Part of the work of our research group is to try and find ways to optimise patients’ physiological state prior to surgery. There is a timely element to the publication of this research, as due to the COVID-19 pandemic there have been significant delays to elective surgery.”

She added: “We would advise everyone to try and increase their fitness by using simple programmes of HIIT, many of which can be done in the home or garden without special equipment. It’s important that people stay fit during the current pandemic as it improves their chances of fighting off COVID-19. This includes eating a healthy diet and cutting back on alcohol and smoking.”

In the HIIT randomised controlled trial for pre-operative patients, all patients were awaiting major urological surgery for cancer – operations which have relatively high rates of peri- and post-operative complications.

The patients were randomised into either a control group of standard care or a four-week fully supervised HIIT intervention in the run-up to their operation. Measurements of cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle mass were taken before the first HIIT session and again a few days before surgery.

The HIIT exercise consisted of a warm-up on a static exercise bike then five, one-minute bursts of cycling at the patient’s highest level of effort with 90 seconds recovery of unloaded cycling between each burst.

There was a statistically significant reduction in the HIIT group’s resting blood pressure and an increase in both the submaximal (anaerobic threshold) and maximum rate of oxygen they used (aerobic capacity) after the month-long period of the exercise trial.

The researchers say these effects can have real benefits in helping patients who undergo surgery, with fitter patients suffering fewer post-operative complications and recovering more quickly afterwards.