Physiotherapists contribute significantly to the maintenance of functional independence and quality of life among cancer patients through early intervention and community follow up. Very little has been documented about the extent Physiotherapists are involved in the care and management of individuals with functional deficits related to cancer in India although physiotherapists are mandatory to promote and maintain physical function. The purpose of this study was to examine and describe current practice patterns of Physiotherapists in cancer rehabilitation in South India. A descriptive study was performed using the survey method for data collection among 1120 randomly selected Physiotherapists licensed and practicing in South India. Following institutional review board approval, surveys with consent forms were emailed to subjects and subjects received followup email reminders. Usable surveys returned were 188 (18.13%). 62.8% of therapists reported treating individuals with a history of cancer while only 17.8% were treating the cancer patients on regular basis. Most common patients were with breast cancer (75%); common treatments were: home exercise programs and breathing exercises (both 77.1%), range of motion exercises (68.6%), chest clearance techniques (64.6%), strengthening and education (both 60.4%), and stretching (56.3%), Monitoring methods were: heart rates (58.3%), blood pressure (54.2%), pain scale and O2 saturation levels (47.9%), and rates of perceived exertion (37.5%), functional outcome measures were: 6 minute walk test (41.7%), quality of life (20.8%), SF36 (18.8%), and Functional Independence Measure (14.6%). We found that, only very few physiotherapists are practicing exclusively in cancer care setting in South India. Intervention types were satisfying while monitoring and functional outcome measures were inconsistently used. Furthermore, number of physiotherapists working in the cancer centers is no match for the increasing demand of physiotherapy in cancer care. 

Keywords: Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation, Cancer treatment, Survey, Practice patterns.