What is cancer rehabilitation?
Cancer rehabilitation—or cancer rehab—is a group of services for people recovering from cancer and its treatment. This includes regaining strength, endurance, independence, and social, physical and work-related skills. It can also help you deal with anxiety, depression, and other emotions surrounding your cancer journey. Cancer rehab can help you stay out of the hospital and care for yourself. Another name for this type of care is oncology rehabilitation.
Most often, rehab for cancer patients takes a team approach with a wide variety of healthcare providers. These providers offer support for anyone with cancer, from someone in lung cancer recovery to breast cancer survivors.
Why is cancer rehabilitation offered?
Your doctor may recommend a cancer rehab program to improve your ability to function daily and enhance your quality of life. These goals are important for anyone dealing with cancer and cancer treatment. This is true even if you finished treatment quite some time ago. There can be long-term side effects from some cancer treatments that can benefit from cancer rehab.
If you find yourself struggling with daily activities, talk with your doctor. Ask how cancer rehab could assist you in regaining a full, active life.
Who performs cancer rehabilitation?
Cancer rehab usually involves a multidisciplinary team. Your specific needs will vary depending on your cancer treatment and its effects on your health—such as the effect of surgery to remove cancer. Common team members include:
- Oncologist: Your cancer doctor may remain involved in your cancer care by leading your rehab program.
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor (physiatrist): An expert in preventing and minimizing disability and may help coordinate your rehab team.
- Rehabilitation nurse: Works with your doctors and other team members to assist you in regaining physical abilities.
- Respiratory therapist: An integral part of lung cancer rehab is pulmonary rehabilitation, where a therapist trains you how to breathe effectively, increase endurance, and perform certain treatments.
- Case manager: Coordinates interactions between you, your rehab team, and your insurance company.
- Clergy member: Provides spiritual support and counseling.
- Home health aide: Delivers a number of different services in your home. This ranges from companionship to help with daily activities.
- Lymphedema therapist: Manages fluid buildup due to damaged or absent lymph nodes. Various types of providers can seek special certification in lymphedema management techniques.
- Mental health providers: Assist you with behavioral, emotional and psychological needs. They may include counselors, therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists.
- Occupational therapist: Works with you to achieve independence in your daily activities and occupations.
- Physical therapist: Helps you improve and restore mobility, movement, strength, flexibility, balance and coordination.
- Recreational therapist: Uses forms of recreation—exercise, games or hobbies—to help you regain skills and confidence.
- Registered dietitian: Promotes optimal health and prevents and treats disease using the science of nutrition.
- Speech-language pathologist: Evaluates and treats speaking, communicating and swallowing problems.
- Social worker: Coordinates a variety of services. This can include financial, community, and home support resources.
- Vocational counselor: Assists you with returning to work or finding work that suits your abilities.
What cancer rehabilitation services are available?
Your cancer rehab team may recommend any of the following services:
- Lymphedema therapy to decrease the accumulation of lymphatic fluid
- Medications, including medicines for pain and nutrition
- Occupational therapy, including relearning daily activities, regaining fine motor skills with your hands, wheelchair evaluations, and using equipment to function independently at home or at work
- Physical therapy, including aqua therapy, soft tissue massage, therapeutic ultrasound, chest physiotherapy, vestibular rehabilitation, and exercises to improve strength, mobility and fitness
- Social and psychological services, including biofeedback, peer counseling, work or school re-entry, cancer support groups, and individual, family or group therapy
- Speech-language therapy, including swallowing therapy and cognitive-communication therapy to improve speaking, communication, thinking, memory, understanding, reading, writing and swallowing
- Vocational rehabilitation, including psychological assessments, career counseling, and requesting and obtaining accommodations and accessibility in the workplace
You can find these services at cancer rehabilitation centers and other cancer care centers.
What can I expect with cancer rehabilitation?
Everyone responds to cancer and its treatment differently, both physically and emotionally. As a result, every cancer patient has unique needs and goals. Your cancer rehab team will develop an individualized plan to meet your specific needs. The number of services you need and the amount of time you need them will vary. You will work with your coordinator to design a plan that is right for you. Your team will work with your periodically to re-evaluate the plan as your needs change.
