Cancer Rehabilitation & Palliative Care – exploring the synergies.

Chowdhury, Rabeya; Brennan, Frank P.; Gardiner, Matthew D.

With perpetual research, management refinement and increasing survivorship, cancer care is steadily evolving into a chronic disease model. Rehabilitation Physicians are quite accustomed to managing chronic conditions, yet, in Australia, Cancer Rehabilitation remains under-explored. Palliative Care Physicians, along with Rehabilitationists, are true Generalists, who focus on the whole patient and their social context, in addition to the diseased organ system. This, together with Palliative Care’s expertise in managing the panoply of troubling symptoms that beset patients with malignancy, makes them natural allies in the comprehensive management of this patient group from the moment of diagnosis. This paper will explore the under-recognized and under-utilized parallels and synergies between the two specialties as well as identifying potential challenges and areas for future growth.