After cancer treatment, many survivors struggle to maintain healthy habits like exercise, eating well, and limiting alcohol—even though these habits are crucial for staying healthy. This article describes a new approach where two types of healthcare specialists work together: cancer rehabilitation experts (who help people regain strength and function) and lifestyle medicine doctors (who focus on preventing disease through healthy habits). The RISE clinic in a major U.S. hospital shows how this partnership works in real life, helping cancer survivors get personalized support to make lasting healthy changes. This combined approach could help more cancer survivors stay healthier after treatment.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether combining cancer rehabilitation services with lifestyle medicine (healthy eating, exercise, stress management) could help cancer survivors stick to healthy habits better than either approach alone
  • Who participated: This is a perspective piece describing a real clinic (RISE) that serves cancer survivors in an urban medical center; no specific patient numbers are provided in this overview
  • Key finding: Only 5-25% of cancer survivors follow health recommendations after treatment, but when rehabilitation specialists and lifestyle medicine doctors work together, survivors get better personalized support to make and maintain healthy changes
  • What it means for you: If you’re a cancer survivor, this suggests looking for healthcare providers who work together on both your physical recovery and your lifestyle habits. This combined approach may make it easier to stick with healthy changes that reduce your risk of cancer returning or developing other health problems.

The Research Details

This is a perspective article, which means it’s not a traditional research study with experiments or data collection. Instead, experts in cancer care and lifestyle medicine share their professional opinion on how two healthcare fields could work better together. They describe the RISE clinic as a real-world example of this partnership in action. The RISE clinic uses occupational therapy (helping people do daily activities) combined with lifestyle medicine principles (focusing on exercise, nutrition, stress management, and sleep) to support cancer survivors. This type of article helps healthcare professionals think about new ways to organize care and improve patient outcomes.

Cancer survivors face a unique challenge: they need to make major lifestyle changes to stay healthy, but many don’t have access to affordable, personalized help. By showing how two existing types of healthcare can combine their strengths, this article suggests a practical solution that could work in many hospitals and clinics. It’s important because it addresses a real gap in cancer care—most survivors don’t get the support they need to maintain healthy habits.

This is a perspective piece rather than a research study, so it doesn’t present new experimental data. However, it’s written by experienced clinicians describing a real clinic that exists and functions. The strength of this article comes from practical experience and expert opinion rather than controlled experiments. Readers should understand this is a promising idea supported by professional experience, not yet proven through large-scale research studies.

What the Results Show

The authors describe how the RISE clinic successfully combines cancer rehabilitation with lifestyle medicine. Cancer rehabilitation specialists help survivors regain physical strength and ability to do daily activities after treatment. Lifestyle medicine doctors help with healthy eating, regular exercise, managing stress, and improving sleep. When these two approaches work together, survivors receive more complete, personalized support. The clinic shows that this partnership is practical and can be implemented in real healthcare settings. The combination addresses both the physical recovery needs of cancer survivors and their need to adopt healthier habits that reduce disease risk.

The article highlights that many cancer survivors don’t follow health recommendations after treatment (only 5-25% do), partly because healthcare is expensive and hard to access. By combining two existing healthcare specialties, the RISE model may make care more affordable and accessible. The article also notes that cancer rehabilitation clinicians are well-positioned to identify lifestyle issues and work with lifestyle medicine experts to address them. This integrated approach may improve outcomes throughout the entire cancer care journey, from treatment through long-term survivorship.

While specific research comparisons aren’t detailed in this perspective, the authors acknowledge that lifestyle factors (exercise, diet, alcohol use) are known to affect cancer survival rates. The innovation here is proposing a structured way to combine two healthcare fields that typically work separately. This builds on existing knowledge that healthy behaviors matter for cancer survivors, but offers a new organizational model to help survivors actually achieve these behaviors.

This is a perspective article describing one clinic’s experience, not a controlled research study. Therefore, it doesn’t provide statistical proof that this approach works better than other methods. The RISE clinic is in one major urban medical center, so it’s unclear if this model would work the same way in smaller hospitals, rural areas, or different healthcare systems. The article doesn’t include patient outcome data or long-term follow-up results. More formal research studies would be needed to prove this approach improves cancer survival rates or patient satisfaction compared to standard care.

The Bottom Line

If you’re a cancer survivor, consider seeking healthcare providers who offer both rehabilitation services and lifestyle medicine support, or who coordinate between these specialties. Focus on the three main areas: regular physical activity, healthy eating, and limiting alcohol. Work with your healthcare team to create a personalized plan that fits your specific needs and abilities. Confidence level: Moderate—while healthy habits are proven important for cancer survivors, this specific integrated model needs more research to confirm it works better than other approaches.

Cancer survivors should care about this, especially those struggling to maintain healthy habits after treatment. Healthcare providers, hospital administrators, and insurance companies should care because this model may improve patient outcomes while potentially reducing costs. People at high risk for cancer should also pay attention, as these healthy habits help prevent cancer in the first place. This may be less relevant for people who haven’t had cancer, though the healthy lifestyle principles apply to everyone.

Building healthy habits takes time. Most experts suggest giving yourself 3-6 months to see meaningful changes in energy, strength, and how you feel. Longer-term benefits (like reduced cancer recurrence risk) may take years to measure. Start with small, manageable changes rather than trying to overhaul everything at once.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track three key behaviors weekly: (1) minutes of physical activity, (2) servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and (3) alcohol consumption. Set realistic goals like 150 minutes of moderate activity per week and aim to gradually increase vegetable intake.
  • Use the app to schedule one new healthy habit each week. Week 1: add a 15-minute walk three times. Week 2: add one extra vegetable to dinner. Week 3: try a stress-management activity like meditation. Build gradually rather than making all changes at once.
  • Set weekly check-ins to review your progress on the three tracked behaviors. Use the app to identify which habits are easiest for you and which need more support. Share progress with your healthcare team monthly to adjust your plan as needed. Track how you feel (energy, mood, strength) alongside the behaviors to see connections.

This article describes a healthcare model and perspective on cancer survivor care, not a proven treatment. Cancer survivors should work with their oncology team and healthcare providers before making major changes to their health routine. The healthy behaviors described (exercise, nutrition, stress management) are generally recommended for cancer survivors, but individual needs vary based on cancer type, treatment received, and overall health status. This information is educational and should not replace personalized medical advice from your healthcare team. Always consult with your doctor before starting new exercise programs or making significant dietary changes, especially during or shortly after cancer treatment.