Associations of Cancer Rehabilitation During Hospitalization for Cancer Treatment With Survival and Post–Discharge Healthcare Utilization: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study
- 1Cancer Control Center Osaka International Cancer Institute Osaka Japan
Abstract
Background: Rehabilitation is increasingly recognized as an essential component of oncology care, but there remains limited evidence regarding its broader impact on patient outcomes. This study examined the associations of inpatient cancer rehabilitation with survival and post–discharge healthcare utilization among patients with diverse cancer types.
Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study using cancer registry–linked claims data from designated cancer care hospitals in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The study cohort comprised adults newly diagnosed with cancer from 2020 to 2022. The exposure was receipt of inpatient cancer rehabilitation during the initial cancer treatment hospitalization. The primary outcome was all–cause mortality within 1 year of diagnosis, and the secondary outcomes were unplanned readmissions and out–of–hours outpatient visits within 28 days of discharge. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards and Fine–Gray subdistribution hazards models were used, adjusting for demographic and clinical factors.
Results: Among 123,955 patients from 69 hospitals, 20,561 (16.6%) underwent inpatient cancer rehabilitation. Rehabilitation was associated with a lower risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.79–0.87). Lower mortality risks were also observed for the following cancer types: lung, upper gastrointestinal, colorectal, hepato–biliary–pancreatic, breast, and hematologic cancers. Among 115,046 patients included in the post–discharge healthcare utilization analyses, rehabilitation was associated with lower risks of unplanned readmissions (subdistribution hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.73–0.85) and out–of–hours visits (0.92; 0.84–0.999).
Conclusions: Inpatient cancer rehabilitation was associated with lower mortality and reduced post–discharge healthcare utilization. These findings support the further integration of rehabilitation into routine oncology practice.
Related
- Changes in hepatic functional reserve and renal function during hospitalization in patients with chronic liver disease : A retrospective observational study of inpatient rehabilitation
- Serial Complete Blood Count-Derived Inflammatory Indices in Acute Pancreatitis: Temporal Associations with Disease Severity, Pancreatic Necrosis, and Prolonged Hospitalization—A Retrospective Single-Center Study
- Diagnosis-code co-occurrence patterns and their associations with hospitalization costs among patients with lung cancer: a province-wide retrospective study in Sichuan, China
- Real-world utilization, safety, and observed clinical outcomes of dapagliflozin among Sudanese patients with heart failure: a multicenter retrospective cohort study
- Payment modality and cumulative hospitalization expenditures among stroke rehabilitation patients in five Chinese hospitals
BibTeX
@article{morishima2026associations,
title = {{Associations of Cancer Rehabilitation During Hospitalization for Cancer Treatment With Survival and Post–Discharge Healthcare Utilization: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study}},
author = {Toshitaka Morishima and Yoshihiro Kuwabara and Mizuki Shimadzu Kato and Yoko Iwaki and Haruka Kudo and Toshiki Ikawa and Kenji Kishimoto and Kayo Nakata and Isao Miyashiro},
journal = {Cancer Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/cam4.72382},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.72382},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Associations of Cancer Rehabilitation During Hospitalization for Cancer Treatment With Survival and Post–Discharge Healthcare Utilization: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study
AU - Toshitaka Morishima
AU - Yoshihiro Kuwabara
AU - Mizuki Shimadzu Kato
AU - Yoko Iwaki
AU - Haruka Kudo
AU - Toshiki Ikawa
AU - Kenji Kishimoto
AU - Kayo Nakata
AU - Isao Miyashiro
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Cancer Medicine
DO - 10.1002/cam4.72382
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.72382
AB - Background: Rehabilitation is increasingly recognized as an essential component of oncology care, but there remains limited evidence regarding its broader impact on patient outcomes. This study examined the associations of inpatient cancer rehabilitation with survival and post–discharge healthcare utilization among patients with diverse cancer types. Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study using cancer registry–linked claims data from designated cancer care hospitals in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The study cohort comprised adults newly diagnosed with cancer from 2020 to 2022. The exposure was receipt of inpatient cancer rehabilitation during the initial cancer treatment hospitalization. The primary outcome was all–cause mortality within 1 year of diagnosis, and the secondary outcomes were unplanned readmissions and out–of–hours outpatient visits within 28 days of discharge. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards and Fine–Gray subdistribution hazards models were used, adjusting for demographic and clinical factors. Results: Among 123,955 patients from 69 hospitals, 20,561 (16.6%) underwent inpatient cancer rehabilitation. Rehabilitation was associated with a lower risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.79–0.87). Lower mortality risks were also observed for the following cancer types: lung, upper gastrointestinal, colorectal, hepato–biliary–pancreatic, breast, and hematologic cancers. Among 115,046 patients included in the post–discharge healthcare utilization analyses, rehabilitation was associated with lower risks of unplanned readmissions (subdistribution hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.73–0.85) and out–of–hours visits (0.92; 0.84–0.999). Conclusions: Inpatient cancer rehabilitation was associated with lower mortality and reduced post–discharge healthcare utilization. These findings support the further integration of rehabilitation into routine oncology practice.
SN - 2045-7634
ER -