Cancer
Cancer is a general term for more than 100 diseases caused by uncontrolled, abnormal cell growth and death. The four most common cancers affect the breasts, colon or rectum, lungs and prostate.
Learn more about cancer and cancer services.
Lymphedema
Lymphedema is the swelling of a body part (usually arms or legs). This can occur after cancer treatment, such as radiation or removal of lymph nodes.
Learn more about lymphedema.
STAR Program® certified sites address the unique health and quality-of-life issues of cancer survivors who are undergoing treatment or living with the side effects of cancer treatment. Read Marlene's story.
Nancy Hutchison, MD, explains to Minnesota Health Care News how physical medicine and rehabilitation makes a difference in patients' lives. Hutchison is the medical director of cancer rehabilitation at Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute and the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute. She works with therapists at Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute and Sister Kenny Sports and Physical Therapy Centers.
In this article in Minnesota Physician, Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute's Nancy Hutchison, MD explains how cancer rehabilitation improves the life and health of cancer survivors.
Cancer rehabilitation & lymphedema program
STAR Program® certified
We are with you throughout your cancer journey
Before you begin your cancer treatment, rehabilitation can help you build strength and endurance.
While you are undergoing treatment, it can help you maintain your physical well-being and functional independence and reduce pain and discomfort.
After treatment, rehabilitation can help you regain function, improve strength and decrease fatigue.
At Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, you receive comprehensive rehabilitation care options to address your unique needs that affect daily life and well-being at each stage of your cancer treatment and survivorship.
These may include lymphedema, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, joint stiffness, weakness, cognitive problems, balance problems, and issues with communication, swallowing or eating.
Learn about cancer rehabilitation programs and services.
What is STAR Program Certification?
The STAR (Survivorship Training and Rehabilitation) Program Certification is offered by Oncology Rehab Partners, which was co-founded in 2009 by Julie Silver, MD, a Harvard Medical School physiatrist and a cancer survivor.
The program offers online, evidence-based training to rehabilitation clinicians including physicians, nurses, therapists and other practitioners, as well as administrators and other health care professionals.
STAR Program certified hospitals and cancer centers address the unique health and quality-of-life issues of cancer survivors who are undergoing treatment or living with the side effects of cancer treatment. After completing the certification, STAR Program certified institutions have access to outcomes data, continuing education opportunities and the latest information in oncology rehabilitation.
At Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute, 80 employees recently completed the STAR Program training, made possible through a grant from the Sister Kenny Foundation.
