ABSTRACT Background/Aim Head and neck cancer presents a significant challenge for patients. Beyond the direct impact of the disease, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, while essential for cancer control, can further compromise patients' quality of life (QoL) and emotional well‐being, while also introducing additional complications. These treatments may exacerbate existing cancer‐related symptoms and contribute to malnutrition. This review aimed to identify and evaluate physical prehabilitation interventions implemented before or during radiotherapy/chemotherapy treatments to determine their impact on the QoL of patients with head and neck cancer. Methods This scoping review was structured according to the framework proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR) guidelines. Results Eight studies were included, encompassing a total sample of 819 subjects (397 in experimental groups). The interventions identified included exercises and stretching to prevent mobility issues and trismus, home‐based training programs with periodic supervision, comprehensive programs with supervised physiotherapy sessions, jaw mobility exercises, dysphagia therapy, oral exercises, and preventive rehabilitation. A positive association was found between prehabilitation interventions and improved QoL in patients. Customizing interventions based on patient characteristics and treatment modalities was shown to enhance the effectiveness of these programs. Conclusions Prehabilitation interventions represent a holistic and functional approach to improving patient outcomes and QoL. Further research is needed to refine these approaches and optimize the overall QoL of head and neck cancer survivors.
Santagostino et al. (2026) studied this question.