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. 2025 Feb 1;33(2):139.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-025-09199-x.

Exploring patient experience of rehabilitation within the surgical pathway for lower limb soft tissue sarcoma in the UK: a single-centre study

Lucy Dean  1 , Siobhan Cowan-Dickie  2 , Dirk C Strauss  3 , Pauline Humphrey  4 , Fiona Cramp  4
Affiliations

Exploring patient experience of rehabilitation within the surgical pathway for lower limb soft tissue sarcoma in the UK: a single-centre study

Lucy Dean et al. Support Care Cancer. .

Abstract

Purpose: The primary treatment for localised soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is surgery. Surgery for lower limb sarcoma is associated with poorer functional outcomes than other anatomical sites. Rehabilitation is essential, yet provision is not standardised, and patient experience of current service delivery is unknown. This study therefore aimed to explore patients' experiences of rehabilitation in the surgical pathway for lower limb STS at a United Kingdom (UK) specialist centre.

Methods: A qualitative, descriptive phenomenological study was undertaken to explore patients' rehabilitation experiences. Eight patients who had undergone lower limb STS surgery at a specialist centre were purposively sampled. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Three main themes were identified: (1) Accessing the right services at the right time. Participants described good access to inpatient rehabilitation post-operatively but delays and challenges in accessing local services affected continuity of care. Rehabilitation gaps pre-operatively, and in facilitating return to meaningful activities, were described; (2) "Communication is key" - providing knowledge and support to navigate uncertainty. Unclear and unrealistic expectations of recovery were challenging. Communication was key to patients feeling supported and facilitating access to rehabilitation; (3) The importance of person-centred rehabilitation. Collaborative, person-centred rehabilitation optimised motivation and engagement.

Conclusion: Participants experienced good access to inpatient rehabilitation post-operatively. In contrast, gaps and delays at other timepoints led to missed opportunities to support preparation for, and recovery from, surgery. A multidisciplinary approach across settings from diagnosis, to deliver person-centred rehabilitation, may improve access, expectation management and continuity of care.

Keywords: Lower limb; Patient experience; Rehabilitation; Sarcoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: Ethical approvals were granted by the Royal Marsden Hospital’s Service Evaluation Committee (SE1243) and the University of the West of England Research Ethics Committee (HAS.22.12.043). Consent to participate: Informed consent was gained from all the participants as outlined in the manuscript. Consent for publication: Informed consent was gained for the publication of anonymised data, including quotes taken from semi-structured interviews. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Topic guide summary
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The thematic analysis process using the method described by Sundler et al. [24]
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Thematic map
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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