>Why Cancer Rehabilitation?

Rehabilitation interventions have been proven to be both safe and effective in addressing many of the impairments and resulting disabilities cancer survivors experience. Exercise, a key component of rehabilitation, can help to restore function, and minimize side effects of cancer and its treatment, such as cancer related fatigue. Research is demonstrating that exercise may also play a significant role in preventing the recurrence of certain types of cancer (eg breast, colorectal).

The Canadian Cancer Society estimates 186,400 new diagnoses of cancer in 2012 (Canadian Cancer Society, 2012). The rise in cancer diagnoses is expected to be 71% between 2012 and 2031, while the rise in population is predicted as 19%. (Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, 2011). The probability of being diagnosed with caner in their lifetimes is 40% for women, and 45% for men in Canada.

More and more Canadians are living with cancer. Survival from cancer has improved over time due to a number of factors, including better screening, earlier detection, and more effective treatments. An estimated one million Canadians are currently living with cancer (Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, 2010). This number is expected to increase to 2.2 million; that is two and a half times more than in 2007. Depending on the type of cancer a person has, cancer is no longer considered to be a life shortening disease, but a chronic condition. The average five year survival rate for all cancers combined is 62%. Some types of cancer have poorer survival rates (lung, pancreas), while others, such as breast cancer have an 88% five year survival rate.

While more people are surviving cancer, this survival often comes with short and long term physical impairments and disability. Cancer survivors are more likely to experience disability than those who have not had cancer. (Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, 2010). Little research has been done in Canada regarding people who acquire disabilities from having cancer and or treatment for cancer. The 2007/2008 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) conducted by Statistics Canada reports that people who responded “yes†to having been diagnosed with cancer; 35.9% of them “often†had restrictions in their activities. This compares with 13.5% of people who never had cancer and reported often experiencing restrictions in activities. For people with cancer, 30 % “sometimes†had restricted activities, compared with 17 % of those who did not have cancer.

Large numbers of cancer survivors experience physical impairments and disability. The evidence is growing that exercise decreases the risk of several types of cancer recurrence. However, few cancer survivors currently have access to resources to help them address these issues. One of the barriers to cancer survivors accessing rehabilitation services is the lack of education/training of rehabilitation providers to work with this population.