Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jun;5(6):e1515.
doi: 10.1002/cnr2.1515. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Holistic rehabilitation for children with cancer: The Chilean model

Vera Celedón  1 , Nuria Rossell  1 , Marcela Zubieta  1
Affiliations

Holistic rehabilitation for children with cancer: The Chilean model

Vera Celedón et al. Cancer Rep (Hoboken). 2022 Jun.

Abstract

The increasingly positive outcomes of childhood cancer treatments are among the most inspiring stories in modern medicine. Many of the children and adolescents surviving cancer will have a healthy life; however, many others will suffer from physical, cognitive, psychological, and social sequelae. During treatment, many children experience multiple temporary and permanent side effects which negatively impact their quality of life. Low- and middle-income countries where childhood cancer treatment outcomes are improving are facing the reality of a growing population of teenagers and young adults suffering from long-term disease- and treatment-related consequences. In Chile, 500 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. Treatment is granted for all through public health policies and NGO collaboration. In order to address the complex problems from acute and long-term consequences of disease and treatment, the Oncological Rehabilitation Center Fundación Nuestros Hijos (CROFNH) provides multidisciplinary attention to an extensive variety of rehabilitation needs for children and adolescents with cancer. With its integrated services in the medical treatment of children and adolescents with cancer, the CROFNH helps reduce the impact of treatment-related side effects in children's daily lives, improves quality of life, and aims at contributing to these children becoming independent and functional adults to the maximum of their capacities. The aim of this article is to show the experience of the Chilean Oncological Rehabilitation Centre and its unique multidisciplinary approach. In addition, we discuss the successful telerehabilitation strategy implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to secure continuity of treatment.

Keywords: Chile; childhood cancer; rehabilitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have stated explicitly that there are no conflicts of interest in connection with this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Number of rehabilitation sessions attended by patients at Chile's Oncological Rehabilitation Centre Fundación Nuestros Hijos from September 2014 to December 2020
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Salgado C. Cáncer infantil, realidad actual. Pediatr del Siglo XXI Mirando al Futur. 2016;6(6):144‐148. http://contactocientifico.alemana.cl/ojs/index.php/cc/article/view/418/391
    1. Villarroel CM. Diagnóstico precoz del cáncer infantil. Rev Méd Clín Condes. 2006;17(2):60‐65.
    1. Vallebuona, C. ; Vargas, L. ; Vergara, N. ; Soto F Primer Informe del Registro Nacional de Cancer Infantil de Chile (Menores de 15 años) RENCI. Quinquenio 2007‐2011. Santiago; 2018. http://www.ipsuss.cl/ipsuss/site/artic/20180117/asocfile/20180117150429/...
    1. Ministerio de Salud , Gobierno de Chile . Plan Nacional de Cáncer 2018‐2028; 2018:185. https://www.minsal.cl/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019.01.23_PLAN-NACIONA...
    1. Howard SC, Metzger ML, Wilimas JA, et al. Childhood cancer epidemiology in low‐income countries. Cancer. 2008;112(3):461‐472. - PubMed