Department

Cancer Rehabilitation Centre

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells, which can result in death. Cancer is caused by both external factors (eg, chemicals, radiation, viruses) and internal factors (eg, hormones, immune conditions, inherited mutations). Causal factors may act together or in sequence to initiate or promote carcinogenesis. Ten or more years may pass between carcinogenic exposure or inheritance of a mutation and detectable cancer. Today, cancer is treated with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormones, and/or immunotherapy.

Cancer Rehabilitation can be defined as a process that assists the cancer patient to obtain maximal physical, social, psychological, and vocational functioning within the limits created by the disease and its resulting treatment. The cancer rehabilitation program at KIMS has the following objectives: psychosocial support; optimization of physical functioning; vocational counselling and optimization of social functioning. Components of the program include: fitness and sports activities, relaxation exercises, patient education, especially on disease-related matters, instruction and counselling of patients and relatives on coping strategies, especially dealing with crisis and fear, social and cultural therapy designed to help formulate new and realistic goals in life as well as dietary advice. Cancer survivors often have early- and late-onset effects from the cancer or its treatment. These effects may be the cause of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, obesity, diabetes, pain, osteoporosis, cognitive defects, and inactivity. All of these conditions are accounted for by our healthcare team when developing a rehabilitation strategy.

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