Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

Cancer Rehabilitation and Physical Activity in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: From Evidence Mapping to Implementation Perspectives in the Solomon Islands (146401)

Alanah Pike 1 2 , David Mizrahi 3 4 , Jasmine Yee 5 , Kellie Toohey 6 , Nicolas H Hart 2 7 8 , Desmond Yip 9 10 , Elsie Taloafiri 11 , Andrew Soma 11
  1. UC Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  2. Discipline of Clinical Exercise Physiology , School of Human Performance, Rehabilitation and Population Health Faculty of Health University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  3. Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. Australian Research Centre for Cancer Survivorship, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  5. School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  6. Human Sciences, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
  7. Human Performance Research Centre School of Human Performance, Rehabilitation and Population Health, University of Technology Sydney , Sydney, NSW, Australia
  8. INSIGHT Research Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney , Sydney, NSW, Australia
  9. ANU School of Medicine and Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  10. Department of Medical Oncology, The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  11. National Referral Hospital Honiara, Solomon Islands , Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Honiara, Solomon Islands

Aims: This ongoing COSA Fellowship program aims to 1) understand the current landscape of physical activity and exercise programs for people affected by cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and identify factors influencing implementation and uptake through a scoping review and 2) investigate how World Health Organisation’s Package of Interventions for Cancer Rehabilitation could be adapted and delivered within the Solomon Islands health system to improve management of physical and psychosocial cancer-related symptoms.

Methods: To date, 1) MEDLINE, Embase, SPORTDiscus, and CINAHL have been searched to identify studies examining physical activity, exercise programs, and/or implementation factors among this population in LMICs. Original research of any design was eligible if wholly or partly conducted in LMICs. Next, 2) semi-structured interviews will be conducted with healthcare professionals involved in cancer care at the National Referral Hospital (Solomon Islands). Interviews will explore symptom burden, supportive care needs, service gaps, and factors influencing cancer rehabilitation and psychosocial care delivery. Data will be analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: 1) The search produced 8108 articles for screening, 387 of which progressed to full text screening, of which ~54 studies are expected to be extracted and synthesised. 2) Local ethics in the Solomon Islands has been obtained, with Australian ethics pending. Interview questions have been developed with local collaborators in the Solomon Islands, who continue to contribute to recruitment of participants and appropriate interpretation of findings.

Conclusions: Collectively, these studies will address critical evidence gaps in supportive care for cancer across LMICs by mapping existing physical activity and exercise services and identifying implementation barriers and facilitators, while generating context-specific evidence from the Solomon Islands to inform culturally relevant rehabilitation and psychosocial care strategies in under-resourced settings. Importantly, this will also advance equitable access to culturally responsive services that improve quality of life, and survivorship outcomes.