Background Patients undergoing resection for gastro-esophageal (GE)-cancer are subjected to high burden of disease and treatment-specific morbidities with potential detrimental impact on survival and quality of life. Exercise training is a promising strategy to improve physical functional before and after tumor resection, but it is not established if this translates into lower risk of peri- and post-operative complications, improved treatment tolerance. Objectives: * To explore the effect a preoperative exercise-training intervention on the risk of treatment failure, defined as the risk of not reaching surgery, in patients diagnosed with operable GE cancer. * To explore the effect of preoperative exercise training on median time to tumor progression (disease free survival), and overall survival * To explore the effect of preoperative exercise training on the risk of treatment complications * To explore the effect of preoperative exercise training on health related quality of life, anxiety and depression,cardiopulmonary fitness, muscle strength, and body composition Subjects and Methods In total, 310 GE-cancer patients will be included in the study and randomly allocated to pre-operative exercise training (n=155) or usual care control (n=155). All participants will undergo 2 study visits; assessed for cardiopulmonary fitness; muscle strength, body composition; blood sample (50 ml); quality of life by questionnaires; physical function; and blood volume profile. Quality of life will be assessed by questionnaires by self-report three times (at 12, 24, and 36 months after diagnosis), and we will collect data from medical records regarding mortality and disease recurrence up to 36 months after diagnosis. Treatment arms: The intervention-group will be prescribed 2-3 weekly supervised exercise training for a total of 12 weeks before surgery during neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. The control group will follow current usual care guidelines. After surgery during adjuvant chemotherapy, both groups will be referred to municipality-based rehabilitation.
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Risk of treatment failure
Timeframe: From date of randomization, until the date of treatment failure is clinically determined before scheduled surgery assessed for up to 20 weeks