Enhancing Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer: A Scoping Review on the Role of Physical Prehabilitation.

[BACKGROUND/AIM] Head and neck cancer presents a significant challenge for patients. Beyond the direct impact of the disease, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, while essential for cancer control, can further compromise patients' quality of life (QoL) and emotional well-being, while also introducing additional complications. These treatments may exacerbate existing cancer-related symptoms and contribute to malnutrition. This review aimed to identify and evaluate physical prehabilitation interventions implemented before or during radiotherapy/chemotherapy treatments to determine their impact on the QoL of patients with head and neck cancer.

[METHODS] This scoping review was structured according to the framework proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.

[RESULTS] Eight studies were included, encompassing a total sample of 819 subjects (397 in experimental groups). The interventions identified included exercises and stretching to prevent mobility issues and trismus, home-based training programs with periodic supervision, comprehensive programs with supervised physiotherapy sessions, jaw mobility exercises, dysphagia therapy, oral exercises, and preventive rehabilitation. A positive association was found between prehabilitation interventions and improved QoL in patients. Customizing interventions based on patient characteristics and treatment modalities was shown to enhance the effectiveness of these programs.

[CONCLUSIONS] Prehabilitation interventions represent a holistic and functional approach to improving patient outcomes and QoL. Further research is needed to refine these approaches and optimize the overall QoL of head and neck cancer survivors.