Colorectal Cancer (Diagnosis)NCT07376668
Effects of a WhatsApp-assisted Prehabilitation for Patient Undergoing Elective Colorectal Cancer Surgery
A study testing Intervention in people with Colorectal Cancer (Diagnosis), run by Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Hong Kong at 1 site in Hong Kong.
Trial summary
The goals of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and the effects of a WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation for colorectal cancer patients undergoing elective surgery. The main questions are: If the digital prehabilitation is feasible and acceptable by the colorectal cancer patient prior to elective surgery? If this… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Colorectal Cancer (Diagnosis)
- What is being tested?
- Intervention
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 100 participants
- Where
- 1 siteHong Kong
- Study dates
- 15 Jan 2026to 31 Mar 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- diagnosis of colorectal-related cancer
- scheduled for elective colorectal cancer surgery as primary treatment
- aged 18 years or above
- expected surgery date more than 21 days
- able to collaborate in the study and sign the informed consent
- able to use WhatsApp application
Who cannot join
- identified or known premorbid, that inability to follow the programme
- able to understand written and spoken Cantonese/ Chinese
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Hong Kong1 site
Tseung Kwan O Hospital
Hong Kong
SHERING SUNG, 85222080980, sheringsung@link.cuhk.edu.hk
About this study
Official title: WhatsApp-assisted Prehabilitation Programme for Adult Patient Undergoing Elective Colorectal Cancer Surgery - A Randomised Controlled Trial
The goals of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and the effects of a WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation for colorectal cancer patients undergoing elective surgery. The main questions are: If the digital prehabilitation is feasible and acceptable by the colorectal cancer patient prior to elective surgery? If this prehabilitation helps to improve the postoperative complications, length of stay, physical activity and psychological well-being for colorectal cancer patients receiving surgery.
Researcher will compare the prehabilitation plus standard care to standard care only to see if the prehabiliation helps the colorectal cancer patients.
Participants will: 1) enrolled in a approximate 4 weeks (3 episodes/ week) prehabilitation program containing educational information of colorectal cancer, dietary advice, exercises training and psychological podcasting. 2) will answer the survey weekly and after surgery. 3) keep the standard care as per department guidelines
Read the detailed description
Colorectal cancer ranks the second most prevalent forms of cancer in Hong Kong and surgery is still the primary curative option. Although compromising result of shorten general length of stay (LOS) in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is illustrated, surgical complications such as postoperative ileus (POI) remain unresolved and significant burden associated leads to suboptimal patients' outcomes of prolonged LOS and physical deconditioning with extended rehabilitation. Prehabilitation refers to optimization in a single or multi-disciplinary approach of exercises training, nutritional therapy and psychological counselling, improves physical fitness, strengthens cardiopulmonary function and reduce mental distress through lifestyle modification and better physiological reserve. However, the concept of educations in form of preoperative exercises and nutritional counselling outweighs the purposes of actual prehabilitation and short-handed allied health professionals limited accessibility of regular out-patient counselling in the current clinical practices. Consequently, poor adherence to these preoperative trainings may result in to poor surgical outcomes.
A single with assessor-blinded, double-armed randomised controlled trial study with a prior pilot will be employed to examine the feasibility and effects of a technology-assisted prehabilitation for patients with colorectal cancer surgery. Outcomes of postoperative complications, LOS, physical activity, nutritional status, gastrointestinal recovery and psychological well-being will be evaluated. Elective colorectal cancer surgery patient will be invited to participated in this study.
The result will provide insights of the use of digital approach. To our knowledge, this is the very first trial of digital prehabilitation for CRC patients in Hong Kong public hospitals. Therefore, it provides positive contribution and acts as an important quality benchmark for patients' outcomes. The findings will also generate knowledge on the optimalization of care provided to CRC patients prior to surgery and assist to develop a structured and effective health system in our community. This innovation may have implications to other research studies and extends the potential clinical practices to related subspecialities such as gastric cancer.
- Conditions
- Colorectal Cancer (Diagnosis)
- Being tested
- Intervention, Standard care
- Keywords
- Prehabilitation
- Medical subject headings
- Colorectal Neoplasms, Disease
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
InterventionOther
Also called Prehabilitation
In addition to standard care, participants will receive digital approach of WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation programme and then start the home-based training for about 3-4 weeks prior to the surgery. The WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation includes exercises training, dietary advice and psychological support. Contents will contain elements of physical training (e.g. aerobic and resistance exercises) and psychological therapy (e.g. meditation) will be delivered through WhatsApp at three sessions (day 1, 3 \& 5) per week for 30 minutes and 15 minutes respectively, educational information associated with colorectal cancer surgery and prehabilitation(e.g. high risks factors towards surgical complications) and dietary advices (e.g. recipes) will be delivered on weekly
Standard careOther
Standard care as per department guidelines with ERAS protocol (including smoking cessation program, preoperative counselling, early rehabilitation program)
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation | Experimental | Patient will receive WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation plus standard care Receives: Other: Intervention; Other: Standard care |
| Standard care | No intervention | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Postoperative complications
measured by the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI), which integrates in a single formula all complications by severity, ranging from 0 (uneventful course) to 100 (death).
Measured: Postoperative period: assessed up to first year postoperative
Secondary outcomes (6)
Length of hospital stay (LOS)
to evaluate the length of postoperative hospital stay
Measured: Postoperative period: assessed up to the first year postoperative
Physical activity
measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), seven items were assessed in frequency and duration over the past seven days, categorizing it into four types: vigorous intensity, moderate intensity, walking, and sitting. An average metabolic equivalents score (MET, min·w-1) was calculated to assess total physical activity as well as for each type of activity, separately. For walking activities, all types of walking were included and an average MET score was derived. The same procedure was carried out for medium intensity and high intensity activities. By calculating the number of activity days multiplied by the average duration per activity, statements about the energy consumption per week and the fitness level can be derived.
Measured: Assessments at baseline, weekly before the surgery and on the day of discharge: assess up to first year postoperative
Gastrointestinal recovery
measured as time to first flatus (in hours)
Measured: Postoperative period: assessed up to 30 days postoperative
Gastrointestinal function
measured as time to first bowel (hours)
Measured: Postoperative period: assess up to 30 days postoperative
Anxiety and depression
assessed by the Chinese version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (C-HADS), a 14-question measure with seven items each for depression and anxiety. HADS generates separate scores for anxiety and depression as well as a combined score of psychological distress. Continuos variable 0-21 (0-7 normal value, 11-21 anxiety/depression), higher value from baseline will represent a worse outcome.
Measured: Assessments at baseline and on the day of discharge: assess up to first year postoperative
Quality of health-related life
evaluated by the Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12 version 2 (Hong Kong)), with Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS). Scores range from 0-100 for the 8 underlying health domains, with higher scores meaning better Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL)
Measured: Assessments at baseline and on the day of discharge: assess up to first year postoperative
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Jan 2026
- Study start15 Jan 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Mar 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Colorectal Cancer (Diagnosis)Studies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- RCT
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Hong Kong
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, SUNG HOI LING SHERING, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Hong Kong
- Investigators
- SHERING SUNG, Principal investigator, Chinese University of Hong Kong
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07376668
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- CIRB-2025-099-2
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 13 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 3 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- WhatsApp-assisted Prehabilitation Programme for Adult Patient Undergoing Elective Colorectal Cancer Surgery - A Randomised Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07376668
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CIRB-2025-099-2
- Conditions
- Colorectal Cancer (Diagnosis)
- Keywords
- Prehabilitation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 100 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Hong KongUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Study start
- 15 Jan 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Mar 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 29 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goals of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and the effects of a WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation for colorectal cancer patients undergoing elective surgery. The main questions are: If the digital prehabilitation is feasible and acceptable by the colorectal cancer patient prior to elective surgery? If this prehabilitation helps to improve the postoperative complications, length of stay, physical activity and psychological well-being for colorectal cancer patients receiving surgery.
Researcher will compare the prehabilitation plus standard care to standard care only to see if the prehabiliation helps the colorectal cancer patients.
Participants will: 1) enrolled in a approximate 4 weeks (3 episodes/ week) prehabilitation program containing educational information of colorectal cancer, dietary advice, exercises training and psychological podcasting. 2) will answer the survey weekly and after surgery. 3) keep the standard care as per department guidelines
Detailed description
Colorectal cancer ranks the second most prevalent forms of cancer in Hong Kong and surgery is still the primary curative option. Although compromising result of shorten general length of stay (LOS) in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is illustrated, surgical complications such as postoperative ileus (POI) remain unresolved and significant burden associated leads to suboptimal patients' outcomes of prolonged LOS and physical deconditioning with extended rehabilitation. Prehabilitation refers to optimization in a single or multi-disciplinary approach of exercises training, nutritional therapy and psychological counselling, improves physical fitness, strengthens cardiopulmonary function and reduce mental distress through lifestyle modification and better physiological reserve. However, the concept of educations in form of preoperative exercises and nutritional counselling outweighs the purposes of actual prehabilitation and short-handed allied health professionals limited accessibility of regular out-patient counselling in the current clinical practices. Consequently, poor adherence to these preoperative trainings may result in to poor surgical outcomes.
A single with assessor-blinded, double-armed randomised controlled trial study with a prior pilot will be employed to examine the feasibility and effects of a technology-assisted prehabilitation for patients with colorectal cancer surgery. Outcomes of postoperative complications, LOS, physical activity, nutritional status, gastrointestinal recovery and psychological well-being will be evaluated. Elective colorectal cancer surgery patient will be invited to participated in this study.
The result will provide insights of the use of digital approach. To our knowledge, this is the very first trial of digital prehabilitation for CRC patients in Hong Kong public hospitals. Therefore, it provides positive contribution and acts as an important quality benchmark for patients' outcomes. The findings will also generate knowledge on the optimalization of care provided to CRC patients prior to surgery and assist to develop a structured and effective health system in our community. This innovation may have implications to other research studies and extends the potential clinical practices to related subspecialities such as gastric cancer.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- RCT
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation | Experimental | Other: Intervention, Other: Standard carePatient will receive WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation plus standard care |
| Standard care | No intervention | – |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- diagnosis of colorectal-related cancer
- scheduled for elective colorectal cancer surgery as primary treatment
- aged 18 years or above
- expected surgery date more than 21 days
- able to collaborate in the study and sign the informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- identified or known premorbid, that inability to follow the programme
- able to understand written and spoken Cantonese/ Chinese
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| InterventionAlso: PrehabilitationIn addition to standard care, participants will receive digital approach of WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation programme and then start the home-based training for about 3-4 weeks prior to the surgery. The WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation includes exercises training, dietary advice and psychological support. Contents will contain elements of physical training (e.g. aerobic and resistance exercises) and psychological therapy (e.g. meditation) will be delivered through WhatsApp at three sessions (day 1, 3 \& 5) per week for 30 minutes and 15 minutes respectively, educational information associated with colorectal cancer surgery and prehabilitation(e.g. high risks factors towards surgical complications) and dietary advices (e.g. recipes) will be delivered on weekly | Other | WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation |
| Standard careStandard care as per department guidelines with ERAS protocol (including smoking cessation program, preoperative counselling, early rehabilitation program) | Other | WhatsApp-assisted prehabilitation |
Primary outcome
Postoperative complications
Time frame: Postoperative period: assessed up to first year postoperative
measured by the Comprehensive Complication Index (CCI), which integrates in a single formula all complications by severity, ranging from 0 (uneventful course) to 100 (death).
6 secondary outcomes
Length of hospital stay (LOS)
Time frame: Postoperative period: assessed up to the first year postoperative
Physical activity
Time frame: Assessments at baseline, weekly before the surgery and on the day of discharge: assess up to first year postoperative
Gastrointestinal recovery
Time frame: Postoperative period: assessed up to 30 days postoperative
Gastrointestinal function
Time frame: Postoperative period: assess up to 30 days postoperative
Anxiety and depression
Time frame: Assessments at baseline and on the day of discharge: assess up to first year postoperative
Quality of health-related life
Time frame: Assessments at baseline and on the day of discharge: assess up to first year postoperative
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Feb 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
SHERING SUNG principal investigator
Chinese University of Hong Kong
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Intervention in people with Colorectal Cancer (Diagnosis), run by Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Hong Kong at 1 site in Hong Kong.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Hong Kong. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact SHERING SUNG (85222080980, sheringsung@link.cuhk.edu.hk), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Postoperative complications (time frame: Postoperative period: assessed up to first year postoperative). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Feb 2026.