Assessing the effectiveness of rehabilitation after total hip arthroplasty in a patient treated through cancer fast-track pathways: A case study

Abstract

To accelerate and improve the quality of oncological care in Poland, clinicians use the Oncology Diagnosis and Treatment Card (DiLO Card). The decision to perform total hip arthroplasty in a patient with cancer must be based on the patient's functional status, evidence of pathological tissue proliferation at the fracture site, and the locations of previous surgical procedures involving tumor resection. The potential for metastasis substantially complicates accurate assessment of rehabilitation progress after total hip arthroplasty in oncology patients. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of therapeutic exercises following total hip arthroplasty in a patient who had undergone a hysterectomy for cervical cancer treated via the cancer fast-track pathways. The study included a 48-year-old female patient who, at the age of 44 (March 2022), underwent a surgical treatment for cervical cancer (hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy). The use of infrared thermography in this situation is one of safe and non-invasive methods for assessing inflammatory hyperaemia in the area of a post-operative scar; moreover, this method poses no risk to oncology patients as it does not involve ionising radiation. Furthermore, the benefits of using this method lie in the ability to detect inflammation within the operated joint at an early stage, which enables the prompt implementation of treatment protocols aimed at rapid diagnosis, with a view to the possible use of revision surgery.