Postcancer rehabilitation: multidisciplinary exercise - programme organisation and feasibility.

Abstract

Background: Although the benefit of supportive care in the postcancer period is now well demonstrated, its implementation in the patient journey remains challenging. This article describes the development, since 2015 and in routine care, of supportive postcancer care comprising a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme (MRP) based on exercise for patients with early breast cancer.

Methods: As part of quality control, we reviewed all patient files since the programme was implemented. Patient data regarding the type of cancer, clinical and pathological factors, and treatment were recorded in a computerised database.

Results: From April 2015 to January 2024, 655 patients participated in the MRP. The programme lasts for 14 weeks, totalling 126 hours of face-to-face programme, with a maximum of 8 patients per group, in 5 different centres. A multidisciplinary professional team provide supportive care. The MRP is mainly based on supervised physical exercise and patients also participate in social, psychological, dietary support and educational sessions. Supervised physical exercise includes cardiorespiratory endurance work through specific sessions on ergometers or outdoor walking and adapted physical activity sessions to improve muscular capacities (endurance, strength and flexibility).

Conclusion: We describe here the practical implementation of a routine multidisciplinary supportive care programme, based mainly on physical activity, for post-treatment breast cancer patients. We report almost 9 years of experience with the programme. We show that offering this programme in the postcancer setting and in clinical routine practice is feasible and can be maintained in the long term.