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Physiotherapy in Oncology: more quality of life at all stages of the disease

Today marks the World Cancer Day, The International Union for Cancer Control (UICC) created this year in 2000 with the aim of alerting the population to prevention, early diagnosis and the importance of fair and equitable access to health care. The Order of Physiotherapists joins this date, reinforcing the role of physiotherapy in promoting the functionality, autonomy and quality of life of people diagnosed with cancer.

 

Cancer continues to affect millions of people around the world. In Portugal, there have been around 60,000 new cases each year, with an impact that goes beyond the physical dimension of the disease, also influencing the emotional, social and family well-being of people diagnosed with cancer.

 

Between 2025 and 2027, this anniversary is framed by the international campaign “United by Unique”, which advocates more person-centred models of care, recognising that each experience of cancer is unique and that healthcare should be integrated, empathetic and humanised, responding to the physical, emotional and social needs of each individual throughout their illness.

 

Physiotherapy in oncology plays a fundamental role throughout the care pathway. The intervention of physiotherapists contributes to improving the quality of life, functional recovery and promoting the autonomy of people with cancer, from prevention and prehabilitation to rehabilitation, post-treatment and support in the survival phase and, when necessary, in the more advanced stages of the disease.

 

Physiotherapy intervention includes:

 

  • Prevention - Promotion of healthy lifestyles, physical exercise and weight management;
  • Prehabilitation - Prevention and treatment of complications associated with oncological therapies;
  • Rehabilitation - Restoring and maximising function;
  • During oncological treatments - Continuous functional monitoring;
  • Advanced stage - Improved quality of life at all stages;
  • Survival - Support for social and occupational reintegration.

 

The physiotherapist intervenes in an integrated way, based on scientific evidence, in conjunction with multidisciplinary teams, guaranteeing humanised and personalised care.

On this World Day Against Cancer, the Order reinforces the importance of fair, accessible and person-centred care, where Physiotherapy is crucial in promoting functionality, autonomy and quality of life.

Because caring for cancer is also caring for the person, in all their uniqueness.

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Pedro Maciel Barbosa

Specialist physiotherapist at the Matosinhos Local Health Unit Sub-coordinator for Primary Health Care, Matosinhos Local Health Unit Visiting Assistant Professor at the Porto School of Health Member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Health - SNS Member of the General Council of the Order of Physiotherapists

Carlos Sand

Carlos Areia has been a physiotherapist since 2013, and has worked in various hospitals, clinics and clubs in both Portugal and the UK. He began his academic career at Oxford University in 2016, where he led a clinical trial comparing physiotherapy vs surgery in anterior cruciate injuries in 32 hospitals in England. In 2018 she moved to the neurosciences department, where she developed her own studies on remote monitoring of vital signs, which were implemented during the pandemic. Here he discovered his passion for data, and in 2022, he joined Digital Science as a Data Scientist. He completed his PhD earlier this year, and has more than 60 publications in journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, Cochrane, among others. He is also an honorary lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and a consultant in clinical research.

Eduardo José Brazete Carvalho Cruz

PhD in Physiotherapy from the University of Brighton, UK. Post-Doctorate in Epidemiology from the National School of Public Health at the New University of Lisbon.
Coordinator of the Studies and Planning Office of the Order of Physiotherapists. Coordinating Professor of the Physiotherapy Department of the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (ESS-IPS). President of the ESS-IPS Technical-Scientific Council. Coordinator of the Physiotherapy Department at ESS-IPS. Integrated Researcher at the Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) (a partnership between FCM-UNL, the National School of Public Health, the University of Évora, the Lisbon Institute of Global Mental Health and Santo Espírito Hospital, Terceira Island, Azores).

Sara Souto Miranda

Sara Souto Miranda has a bachelor's and master's degree in physiotherapy from the University of Aveiro, and a postgraduate qualification in adult respiratory physiotherapy from the same institution. In 2023 she completed her double doctorate in Rehabilitation Sciences/Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at the Universities of Aveiro and Maastricht (Netherlands) and is currently working as a technical-scientific advisor to the Studies and Planning Office (GEP) of the Order of Physiotherapists, and as a guest lecturer at the Piaget Institute in Vila Nova de Gaia. As a member of the Respiratory Research and Rehabilitation Laboratory at the University of Aveiro (Lab3R), she has carried out applied research in which she has assessed and treated patients with respiratory pathology, having taken part in 6 research projects. Throughout her career she has published 19 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals with an impact factor, 1 book chapter and more than 50 abstracts in conference proceedings. She was a research volunteer at the Ciro rehabilitation centre (Centre for expertise in chronic organ failure) in the Netherlands, and is currently a member of the Guideline Methodology Network of European Respiratory Society. She was honoured by European Lung Foundation e European Respiratory Society for carrying out patient-centred research, by the Directorate General for Higher Education with a merit grant for his master's degree, and by the Ciro Centre with a grant to support research abroad.

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