Evaluation and rehabilitation before surgery in lung cancer patients: A survey among members of the French Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (SFCTCV)

<bold>Objective:</bold> Evaluating the practices of French thoracic surgeons regarding preoperative assessment and prehabilitation <bold>Methods:</bold> Multidisciplinary experts in preoperative care: surgeons, anesthesiologists, pulmonologists, physiologists, physiotherapists... under the aegis of the French Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (SFCTCV) collaborated to establish a task force. A web-based questionnaire was designed by the members of this task force. All members of the SFCTCV were invited to respond from May 2022 to May 2023 using an, online survey designer. The questionnaire consisted of 24 questions focused on preoperative assessment and prehabilitation. <bold>Results:</bold> 61 surgeons (47 men/14 women) completed the questionnaire. 95% of surgeons still prescribe preoperative spirometry, and 96.7% pay attention to FEV1. 90,2% evaluate patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery as they would a patient undergoing thoracotomy. 9,8% adjust the threshold values of recommendations, believing that RATS and VATS are less morbid. 41% strictly adhere to international recommendations for preoperative evaluation, with a majority following European recommendations (89.1%). <bold>Conclusions:</bold> The development of minimally invasive surgery and rehabilitation has impacted the modalities of preoperative management, including the use of field tests, the implementation of rehabilitation before the surgery, as well as prior to the decision to decline surgery. However, the practice remains heterogeneous as international recommendations have not yet incorporated these advancements into their decision-making algorithms.