The cost/benefit of cancer rehabilitation

Due to improved screening, earlier detection and more effective treatments cancer survival rates are increasing and now sit at about 50% for all cancers.

This means that one can estimate that about 4-5% (4-5 out of 100) of the population will be cancer survivors by 2015.  Many of these survivors do not return to their pre diagnosis levels of health, with about a third never returning to work.  They may suffer from a variety of ongoing effects, such as fatigue, depression, lymphoedema, and anxiety.  These issues mean, not only is a survivor’s quality of life diminished, but their ongoing health care costs are greater.  Many studies have shown that multidisciplinary rehabilitation (more than one type such as exercise and psychological support) provide physical and psychological improvements, which lead to a better quality of life. 

A recent article, in The Oncologist medical journal, has also shown that physical rehabilitation alone and multidisciplinary rehabilitation provide greater economic benefits than usual treatment. 

In summary, not only is it good for the cancer survivor to have access to multidisciplinary rehabilitation, but it also saves healthcare costs and social care costs.

What better reasons could you have to make multidisciplinary rehabilitation available to cancer patients?

Reference: The Oncologist 2012;17:1581–1593 www.TheOncologist.com