Effect of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program on quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer: Review of clinical experience

Abstract

An interdisciplinary rehabilitation program may be beneficial to patients with head and neck cancer after treatment, but its effects should be evaluated in a controlled trial.

An Interprofessional Palliative Care Oncology Rehabilitation Program: Effects on Function and Predictors of Program Completion

“…It aims to keep people as active as possible in daily life for as long as possible. The clinical expertise of the 6 team members are combined to target each patient's specific problems by meticulously assessing individual needs so as to properly diagnose and treat their symptom burden 1,3,11,17,20,24 .…”

“…Our team and others have shown evidence of benefit for treatment of symptoms by disease site, such as gastrointestinal or head-and-neck 3,5,11 , colorectal 12 , prostate 13 , breast 14,15 , and central nervous system sites 16 . There is also evidence for the successful treatment of symptoms by various professional disciplines, including occupational therapy 17 , physical therapy 18 , nursing 19 , social work 20 , and dietetics 21 .…”

The Association between Malnutrition and Psychological Distress in Patients with Advanced Head-and-Neck Cancer

“…Interprofessional collaboration such as that which exists in a comprehensive palliative rehabilitation program is important to the care of patients with such diverse and complex needs 44,45 . For example, a dietitian would have great difficulty treating a patient who has malnutrition because of psychological difficulties.…”

A Prospective Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Nutrition–Rehabilitation Program for Patients with Advanced Cancer

“…It was conceived as a model for the application of palliative care early in the course of a predictably fatal cancer. To date, benefits in patients with head-and-neck and gastroesophageal cancers have been recorded and published 1,2 .…”