Background: Over the last few years, the presence of physiotherapists in Palliative Care Units (PCU) has considerably grown based on evidence from studies supporting the use of non-pharmacological measures as part of Palliative Care (PC) treatments. However, more accumulated data are needed to definitively establish its added value. The present study describes the type of patients receiving physiotherapy in a PCU and the benefits obtained in relation to their degree of functional dependence. Methods: An observational, prospective, descriptive, practice-based study was undertaken involving patients admitted to the PCU of Fundación Instituto San José (Madrid, Spain), who according to the PCU´s clinical practice, met the criteria for physiotherapy intervention. Daily clinical practice was unchanged for study reasons. Participants were assessed prior to initiating and at the end of the physiotherapy program using the following standard scales: the Barthel Index, the Functional Ambulation Categories scale, the Palliative Performance Scale, and the Braden scale. A descriptive analysis was performed and scale scores prior to and after treatment were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Significance was set at 0.05. Results: A total of 63 patients were included (mean age 71.98 ± 12.72; 61.9% males). Fifty-eight patients (92.1%) were oncological patients; of them, 35 (60.3%) had metastases. Prior to treatment, 28 (44.4%) participants had total dependence according to the Barthel index, and 37 (58.7%) were non-functional ambulator according to the FAC scale. At the end of treatment, the number of patients with total dependence decreased to 15 (23.8%) and those non-functional ambulator to 12 (19.0%). Conclusions: Patients who benefited from physical therapy during their admission to our PCU were predominantly males with oncological processes, mainly lung cancer. PC including physiotherapy improved their functionality, independence and skills for activities of daily living in this sample of PCU patients.

Introduction: Persistent pain is a common long-term sequela in breast cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy and may involve neuropathic pain and central sensitization (CS). However, few studies have examined these mechanisms together and their association with specific sensory symptoms. Material and methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in four Spanish hospitals between September 2022 and January 2025. A total of 254 women with surgically treated breast cancer who had completed chemotherapy were included. Neuropathic pain was assessed using the Spanish version of the Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4), CS using the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), and pain intensity and sensory symptoms (paresthesia, tingling, and thermal sensitivity) using visual analog scales. Between-group comparisons according to the presence of neuropathic pain and central sensitization, as well as analyses of their independent and combined effects on pain intensity and sensory symptoms, were performed. Results: Participants reported moderate pain intensity, with clinically relevant neuropathic pain features and CS. Patients with neuropathic pain (DN4 ≥ 4) showed significantly higher pain intensity and greater severity of all sensory symptoms (all p < 0.001). Similarly, participants with CS reported higher pain intensity and greater severity of tingling and thermal sensitivity. Neuropathic pain and CS were independently associated with increased symptom burden and frequently coexisted. Conclusions: Neuropathic pain and CS are common and overlapping components of persistent pain in breast cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy and are associated with greater pain intensity and sensory symptom severity. Concurrent assessment of both mechanisms may improve the clinical characterization and management of post-chemotherapy pain.