Cancer Chemotherapy in Rehabilitation Patients

As previously mentioned, physical therapists and occupational therapists also play a vital role in providing encouragement and support to the patient with cancer. This support can often help immeasurably in improving the patient s quality-of-life. 

Brief History. R.J. is a 57-year-old woman who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer 1 year ago, at which time she underwent a modified radical mastectomy followed by antineoplastic drugs. The cancer, however, had evidently metastasized to other tissues, including bone. She recently developed pain in the lumbosacral region, which was attributed to metastatic skeletal lesions in the lower lumbar vertebrae. She was admitted to the hospital to pursue a course of radiation treatment to control pain and minimize bony 

Problem/lnfluence of Medication. The patient began to experience an increase in gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and epigastric pain. These problems may have been caused by the 

Aapro M. 5-HT(3)-receptor antagonists in the management of nausea and vomiting in cancer and cancer treatment. Oncology. 2005 69 97-109. 

Aapro M. Optimising antiemetic therapy what are the problems and how can they be overcome Curr Med Res Opin. 2005 21 885-897. 

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