Cancer Rehabilitation

The field of rehabilitation of the cancer patient
received a tremendous boost from the work of Dr. J.
Herbert Dietz, Jr., who worked at the Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University Hospital, and
Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases. Dr.
Dietz published the first text on rehabilitation for the
cancer patient, Rehabilitation Oncology, in 1981 (3).
This text was organized with the rehabilitation model
in mind, including evaluations of impairments, disability, and societal integration (handicap). He approached
the patient from the perspective of treatment goals,
including extensive patient and family education (preventive, restorative, supportive, and palliative), and the
phase of cancer (preoperative, postoperative, convalescence, and posthospital). He recommended the application of solid methodology in evaluating patients and
assessing efficacy of treatment. The aim of treatment
was goal-oriented and often vocational. The impact
of Dietz’s book on the next generation of oncological
rehabilitation specialists was significant. In fact, in my
own professional experience, it became clear to me
that even without being conscious of it, Dr. Dietz’s
approach guided my approach to treating patients. He
also offered an evaluation tool, the Dietz Scale, which
became a commonly used evaluation tool for use with
cancer patients.