Postcancer rehabilitation: multidisciplinary exercise - programme organisation and feasibility.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Supportive care post-cancer is crucial but challenging to implement.
• A multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme (MRP) was developed for early breast cancer patients.
• The program focuses on exercise within routine clinical care since 2015.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a routine supportive postcancer care program.
• To evaluate the feasibility and long-term sustainability of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme (MRP).
• To highlight the role of exercise-based interventions in post-treatment cancer care.

Main Methods:

• Data from 655 patients in the MRP (April 2015-January 2024) were reviewed.
• The 14-week program involved supervised physical exercise, social, psychological, and dietary support.
• Sessions included cardiorespiratory and adapted physical activity in 5 centers.

Main Results:

• 655 early breast cancer patients participated over nearly 9 years.
• The program provided 126 hours of face-to-face, multidisciplinary care.
• The MRP successfully integrated supervised exercise and holistic support.

Conclusions:

• The routine implementation of this multidisciplinary, exercise-based supportive care program is feasible.
• The program has been successfully maintained in clinical practice for almost a decade.
• This model offers a sustainable approach to post-cancer care for breast cancer survivors.