Physical medicine in cancer rehabilitation: A narrative review

Abstract

Cancer rehabilitation improves functional status, quality of life, social participation and return to work of cancer survivors. This narrative review indicates the importance of physical medicine (PM) in cancer rehabilitation and describes the situation in a Middle European University Hospital Centre. Cancer rehabilitation includes information, psycho-oncology, nutrition and PM and it is an immanent team process. Rehabilitation goals can be restorative, supportive, preventive and sometimes palliative. The rehabilitation concept focuses on symptoms and sequelae of cancer and its treatment, enabling the patients to counteract these sequelae and side effects, to gain self-competence and to easier come back after cancer treatment. The field of PM and rehabilitation (R) is an essential part of cancer rehabilitation concerning the improvement of physical performance, quality of life, social participation and return to work. Physiatrists have competencies in diagnostics and therapy as well as of coordination of the rehabilitation team and are, therefore, important players in the concept of cancer rehabilitation. Cancer survivors benefit from cancer rehabilitation due to an improvement of physical performance, nutrition, mental stabilisation, quality of life and participation (social participation and workability). PM and R is an important part of it.