Rehabilitation for cancer survivors during treatment

Abstract

Along with the progression of diagnostic technology and medical treatment, the survival rate of cancer patients is improving, and the number of cancer survivors is increasing year by year. However, cancer patients have a higher risk in reducing the activities of daily living (ADL) and the quality of life (QOL) due to cancer itself and the adverse effects of cancer treatment. Therefore, in the early stages after cancer diagnosis, rehabilitation intervention is important to improve the physical function and ADL, and to achieve earlier discharge from the hospital and an early social reintegration.

In this article, the outline of cancer rehabilitation is explained. Examples from clinical practices are introduced, such as the rehabilitation for esophageal cancer patients who undergo esophagectomy to prevent the postoperative complications and the rehabilitation for cancer patients who receive chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to prevent deconditioning.