Interventions used in acute rehabilitation for patients with neuro-oncological disease: scoping review

To identify evidence for interventions used in acute rehabilitation for patients with neuro-oncological disease. Design – scoping review. A comprehensive search was carried out in the period from December 2019 to February 2020 using Pubmed, Science Direct, EBSCO Medline and PEDro, search terms included brain cancer, brain tumor, acute rehabilitation, rehabilitation. The search was performed based on PRISMA guidelines. The studies were selected based on inclusion (randomized controlled studies, cross-sectional studies, qualitative studies, systematic reviews, situation descriptions; studies describing patients with brain tumors; population over 18 years of age; articles published in English; articles published during the last 22 years (from January 1998 to January 2020) and exclusion (studies with animals or children; literature reviews; research protocols; articles for which a full text version is not available; conference posters; articles that do not mention rehabilitation) criteria. The level of evidence of each intervention was determined. Out of 1144 identified articles 43 publications were included in the report. In total 108 interventions were identified, 38 of them were unique interventions. These interventions were occupational therapy and daily activity training, cognitive training, physiotherapy, speech language therapy, comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation, resistance exercises, endurance training. 4 interventions were evidence level I, 11 interventions were evidence level II, 19 evidence level III and 4 interventions with evidence level IV. The interventions identified in the report are in line with those found in global guidelines for neuro-oncological patients. There is evidence in scientific literature of 38 interventions that can be used by various rehabilitation professionals in the acute rehabilitation of neuro-oncological patients. However, most of these interventions are evidence level II and III.