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| Chief Hiroshi Fuseya, M.D. |
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| Akira Tanuma, M.D. |
Asako Oka, M.D. | Yuna Shibata, M.D. |
Cancer patients sometimes become bedridden due to severe cancer pains, loss of appetite, and feeling smothering and dull. Moreover, surgeries, anti-cancer drug therapies and radiation therapies often lower or deprive some of their physical functions. These hardships can be obstacles in their daily lives, which may make them give up their household work, jobs, and education, and as a result, may lower the quality of their lives. At the Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, we provide patients with supports to improve the quality of their lives through rehabilitations including walking training and swallowing training for functional recoveries. In case functional recoveries seem difficult, we contrive ways to make the best use of their remaining functions.
When the Shizuoka Cancer Center opened, it was the first cancer hospital to set up an independent division for rehabilitation. Ever since, it has been pioneering in the rehabilitation medicine in the country. In addition to doctors specializing in rehabilitation, professional staff with various expertise including physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists are standing by to cope with functional losses by cancer of all types.
When we tailor a rehabilitation plan for a patient, we always work together with the relevant clinical departments. For example, for such a serious case as a surgery for esophageal cancer, it is presumed that the patient will have a swallowing difficulty and/or a respiratory disability afterward, so we let him/her begin the rehabilitation even before the surgery. That way, the recovery is expected to be faster than starting it once the functions are lowered.
We are not directly involved in cancer treatments, but we help patients maintain their daily lives in their own styles even with cancers.
rehabilitation medicine in general
Specialist and Supervisory Doctor Certified by the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine
