Knowledge Tree
cancer rehabilitation
Also known as: cancer rehabilitation services
Facts (15)
Sources
Cancer Rehabilitation - Cancer Nation (Formerly NCCS) canceradvocacy.org 7 facts
claimSpeech-language pathologists in cancer rehabilitation assist survivors with speech, swallowing, and eating problems.
claimPhysical therapists in cancer rehabilitation help survivors recover physical strength and mobility.
claimCancer rehabilitation treatment plans may include pain management services and therapeutic interventions provided by physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists.
accountDr. Stubblefield presented insights on cancer rehabilitation as a survivorship care model at the Cancer Nation Cancer Policy Roundtable in March 2020.
claimMichael D. Stubblefield, MD serves as the director of cancer rehabilitation for the Kessler Institute, the national medical director for the ReVital Cancer Rehabilitation Program, and the architect of comprehensive cancer rehabilitation programs across Select Medical’s national network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and outpatient therapy centers.
claimThe goal of cancer rehabilitation is to provide the best level of function possible for cancer survivors.
claimOccupational therapists in cancer rehabilitation assist survivors with home and work activities, such as driving, caring for children, and typing.
Cancer Rehabilitation & Supportive Care - ASCO asco.org 7 facts
claimCancer rehabilitation addresses physical, cognitive, emotional, and social complications including fatigue, lymphedema, pain (back, joint, neck), neuropathy, muscle weakness and cramps, fibrosis from radiation and/or surgery, jaw opening and swallowing problems, bladder and bowel problems, cognitive impairment (chemobrain, anxiety, and depression-related changes), sarcopenia, cachexia, and reduced cardiopulmonary capacity.
referenceThe 2017 report 'Making Cancer Rehabilitation Services Work for Cancer Patients: Recommendations for Research and Practice to Improve Employment Outcomes' recommends three coordinated efforts to optimize employment: planning for the impact of cancer on work ability, implementing routine screening for impairments with referrals to specialists, and focusing rehabilitation interventions on preserving employment.
referenceThe 2006 Institutes of Medicine (IOM) report titled 'From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition' identifies cancer rehabilitation as a component of survivorship care.
referenceThe 2020 publication 'Cancer rehabilitation as an essential component of quality care and survivorship from an international perspective' argues that cancer rehabilitation and survivorship care are necessary to improve health care quality in response to the expected influx of cancer patients.
procedureThe Commission on Cancer (CoC) Standard 4.6 requires accredited cancer programs to maintain a policy, procedure, and process for the referral and monitoring of cancer rehabilitation services.
referenceThe 2017 paper 'Cancer Rehabilitation: An Overview of Current Need, Delivery Models, and Levels of Care' describes delivery models for cancer rehabilitation, proposes a taxonomy for stratifying survivor needs, and discusses the role of the physiatrist as an advocate.
referenceThe 2013 review 'Impairment-driven cancer rehabilitation: An essential component of quality care and survivorship' proposes an impairment-driven model that involves screening and treating impairments throughout the care continuum to minimize disability and maximize quality of life.
Cancer Survivorship Programs and Clinics cancer.org Oct 21, 2025 1 fact
claimThe survivorship care team in a cancer survivorship program may include doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, patient navigators, medical assistants, social workers, and specialists in nutrition, palliative care, cancer rehabilitation, genetic counseling, and psychosocial care.