Louise Hunt says increasing levels of fitness before surgery and treatment have shown an improvement in physical and emotional wellbeing, as well as engagement in care

The long-term effects of cancer mean that rehabilitation is now as important as treatment. Nurses and other healthcare professionals can assess patients for the long-term effects of treatment and direct them to services to help manage them. Prehabilitation is also emerging as an important principle to help maximise patients’ potential for surgery and support them to recover.

In this article, Louise Hunt discusses the renewed focus on rehabilitation as a result of the Independent Cancer Taskforce report published in 2015, and talks to cancer nurses and allied healthcare professionals about the importance of rehabilitation for improving patients’ quality of life and wellbeing.