[What is the benefit of oncological rehabilitation programs for cancer patients in palliative care?].

Medical and psychosocial rehabilitation of cancer patients is deeply integrated into the German health system. In contrast to the majority of other European countries and the United States of America, rehabilitation is mainly done as inpatient care and only rarely in outpatient units. In curative treated cancer patients the main goals of rehabilitation include recovery from physical impairments, adaptation to functional disabilities and improvement of psychosocial functioning, including the ability to go back to work. In palliative cancer patients the improvement of health adjusted quality of life, the avoidance of permanent supportive care and the social integration are the major goals. Cancer rehabilitation needs an interdisciplinary strategy between medical, psychooncologic, physiotherapeutical and educational professionals. To attain a benefit for the individual cancer patient as well as for the medical system it is important to clearly define the rehabilitation needs and design a most individual rehabilitation program adjusted to the personal needs of the patient. A systematic quality management since 1995 of German rehabilitation clinics and rehabilitation programs did significantly improve this part of the professional health system. However it is necessary to add more outpatient units for cancer rehabilitation to reach more flexibility and satisfy the demand of patients for more home located support.