Physiotherapy Exercise Protocol Improves Pain, Quality of Life and Functional Capacity in Elderly Patients With Cancer Undergoing Palliative Care

Background Cancer is a public health problem, especially among the older adults, and palliative care is often the most appropriate treatment. Cancer patients commonly develop immobility syndrome, mainly due to pain, reducing functional capacity. In this context, physiotherapy treatment is important for reducing symptoms and improving well-being. Aim To evaluate whether a systematized physiotherapy exercise protocol can optimize the management of cancer older patients under palliative care in terms of improving pain control and functionality, as well as the qualitative and quantitative impacts on quality of life. Methodology Twenty older adults hospitalized for 7 days and undergoing exclusive palliative care were included. The patients were evaluated on the first day and re-evaluated on the seventh day regarding pain level (visual analog scale - VAS), functionality (ICU Mobility Scale - IMS), performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group – ECOG; Karnofsky Performance Status – KPS, and Palliative Performance Scale - PPS), and perceived quality of life (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System - ESAS). The participants were submitted to a systematized protocol of physiotherapeutic exercises from the 2nd to the 6th day of hospitalization. Results Significant improvement was observed in almost all scales: VAS ( P < .001), ECOG ( P = .03), KPS ( P = .05), IMS ( P = .002) and PPS ( P = .02). The ESAS scale also showed significant improvement, except for nausea domain. Conclusion Physiotherapy protocol helped control and reduce pain and other symptoms reported by older cancer patients under palliative care, contributing to improving their quality of life and functional capacity.