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Individualized Physiotherapy Improves Quality of Life and Symptom Burden in Advanced Cancer: A Quasi-Experimental
Gonçalo Soares1, Paulo Reis-Pina2,3
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Francisco Gentil Portuguese Institute for Oncology of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
Background And Purpose:
Patients with advanced cancer frequently experience high symptom burden and reduced quality of life. Physiotherapy may represent an important nonpharmacological component of palliative care; however, evidence regarding its effectiveness in hospitalized patients remains limited. This study evaluated the effects of individualized physiotherapy on quality of life and symptom burden in hospitalized patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care.
Methods:
A quasi-experimental study with pre-post evaluation and nonrandomized allocation was conducted. Participants were hospitalized adults with stage IV cancer and a Palliative Performance Scale score of 40%-50%. Participants were allocated to an experimental group receiving physiotherapy or to a control group receiving usual care. The intervention consisted of 12 physiotherapy sessions delivered over approximately 2 weeks. Quality of life and symptom burden were assessed at the baseline and post-intervention using the EORTC QLQ-C30, Version 3. Mixed analysis of variance was used to evaluate changes over time between groups. Ethical approval was obtained, and all participants provided written informed consent.
Results:
Sixty patients were included (30 per group). Global health status and quality of life improved significantly in the experimental group, whereas the control group showed no meaningful change. Significant improvements were observed in physical, emotional, and occupational functioning. Reductions were noted in fatigue, pain, dyspnea, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, and appetite loss. Social functioning did not change significantly in either group. Most participants reported favorable perceptions of physiotherapy, with 96.7% indicating perceived benefit.
Discussion:
Individualized physiotherapy was associated with clinically meaningful improvements in quality of life, functional outcomes, and symptom burden in hospitalized patients with advanced cancer. These findings support the integration of physiotherapy within interdisciplinary palliative care teams. However, interpretation should consider the nonrandomized design and the short follow-up period, which may limit causal inference and long-term generalizability.
