Multimodal rehabilitation for patients who underwent surgery for esophageal or gastric cancer: a review

Although surgery is the only definitive treatment option for gastric cancer, it is associated with significant postoperative digestive impairment, asthenia, and a high risk of comorbidities and disability. Effective personalized rehabilitation expands patients’ physical capabilities, improves their quality of life, and reduces the risk of cancer recurrence.

The review focuses on publications about the rehabilitation of working-age patients with postgastrectomy syndrome. Search queries and keywords in Russian and English, such as gastric and esophageal cancer (рак желудка и пищевода), surgical treatment (хирургическое лечение), rehabilitation (реабилитация), functional testing (функциональное тестирование), and dumping syndrome (демпинг-синдром), were used to search the relevant sources in the PubMed, Scopus, and Russian Index of Science Citation (RISC) databases from 2005 to 2025.

The study showed that multimodal rehabilitation is essential for restoring physical capacities and improving quality of life in patients with postgastrectomy syndrome. With current advancements in diagnosis and definitive treatment of gastric and esophageal cancers, postoperative rehabilitation is becoming increasingly important for improving patient survival and minimizing the likelihood of recurrence. This article discusses the impact of physical exercise on the recovery and survival of postoperative patients with cancer, and investigates the effects and mechanisms of different types of physical activity. Additionally, the article explores the use of dietary rehabilitation to normalize nutritional status and evaluates the necessity of psychological support and the potential for resuming professional activities. The latest evidence on rehabilitation for patients with postgastrectomy syndrome is reviewed, highlighting the key mechanisms that affect survival rates and the ability to return to work after gastrectomy.