Rehabilitation and quality of life in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer.
The impact of esophageal cancer surgery, postoperatively as well as on quality of life (QoL) is still largely unknown. Clinical experience and the scarce existing literature concur that these patients show difficulty in returning to their original lifestyles and previous social activities, not just due to the difficulties common to all tumor pathologies but also for the specific dietary and digestive disturbances which characterize esophageal cancer therapy. As specific rehabilitation protocols are nonexistent in the literature, in this study a rehabilitation planning program, is proposed based on evaluation of postoperative and long-term problems which can be tackled with rehabilitation.
Magrone
Giovanni
G
Scuola di Specializzazione di Medicina Fisica e Riabilitazione, Campus Bio-Medico, Roma, Italy.
Bozzone
Anna
A
Romanelli
Angela
A
Pascoli
Marco
M
Ronconi
Gianpaolo
G
Buonocore
Alessia
A
Mancuso
Nicla
N
Milazzo
Maria
M
Sterzi
Silvia
S
D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life