Return to Work of Breast Cancer Survivors: Perspectives and Challenges for Occupational Physicians

Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases worldwide, mainly affecting the female gender. Considering the increase of breast cancer incidence and the decrease of mortality due to news diagnostic and therapeutic tools, the return to work issue after treatment is going to be very common in the next years. Occupational physicians therefore need to face the return to work and the fitness for work of workers previously diagnosed with breast cancer with a sufficient cultural and technical background. In addition to individual characteristics preceding the diagnosis, clinical outcome, lifestyles and occupational variables are the most impactful factors on return to work that need to be taken into account. The aim of this work is to analyze these factors and discuss the central role of occupational physicians in the decision-making process of returning to work in breast cancer survivors.

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Experiences of Female Breast Cancer Survivors Concerning Their Return to Work in Spain

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs11100135 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (10) ◽

pp. 135

Author(s):

Francisco Aguiar-Fernández ◽

Yolanda Rodríguez-Castro ◽

Mercedes Botija ◽

Rosana Martínez-Román

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Return To Work ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Female Breast Cancer ◽

Psychological Consequences ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Female Breast ◽

Returning To Work ◽

Age Range

The objective of this study was to analyze the experiences of returning to work of women who had overcome breast cancer, identifying its physical and psychological consequences, the process they underwent, their motivations, and difficulties. A total of 19 female breast cancer survivors, with an age range of 30 to 57 years, participated in two focus groups. A semi-structured script was prepared about their experiences of returning to work. The results indicated that survivors’ self-perception was weakened by the physical and psychological consequences of the treatment of the disease; economic difficulties were one of the main reasons for going back to work; lastly, returning to work was a difficult process, mainly because of their physical/psychological limitations, the scarcity of job adaptation measures, and the limited support of the various public administrations. In addition, most of the women had to cope with seeking a new job without any guidance or job training. Significant difficulties related to the maintenance and return to work of female breast cancer survivors have been revealed. Findings highlighted the need to provide more and better information and guidance to cancer patients concerning their return to work or the search for a new job.

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Functionality and factors associated with work behaviour among Brazilian breast cancer survivors: A cross-sectional study

Work ◽

10.3233/wor-203342 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 67 (4) ◽

pp. 917-925

Author(s):

Kamilla Zomkowski ◽

Anke Bergmann ◽

Cinara Sacomori ◽

Mirella Dias ◽

Fabiana Flores Sperandio

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Return To Work ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Upper Limbs ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Returning To Work

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer treatments lead to several comorbidities in the upper limbs, such as pain and stiffness, hindering physical functions and the return to work. OBJECTIVE: To explore the functionality and factors associated with work behaviour among manual and non-manual Brazilian workers who have recovered from breast cancer. METHODS: This is an observational cross-sectional study involving Brazilian breast cancer survivors. The sociodemographic, work, and clinical aspects were assessed through clinical records, upper limb disability, and human functionality obtained from 62 women. Multiple and univariate logistic regressions were used to identify the association of variables on return to work, p < 0.05. RESULTS: 56.5% of women did not return to work, the mean time for returning to work was 16 months (±15.21), absenteeism from work lasted 41 months (±34.58). Modified radical mastectomy (OR = 5.13, 95% CI = 1.35 to 18.66) and moderate-to-severe disability levels in the upper limbs (OR = 6.77, 95% CI = 1.86 to 24.92) were associated with not returning to work. The loss of productivity was higher among non-manual workers (21.5%) (p = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: The rates of not returning to work after breast cancer treatment are high. Women who did not return to work presented higher levels of disability.

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Willingness to pay for accommodating job attributes when returning to work after cancer treatment: A discrete choice experiment with Danish breast cancer survivors

Labour ◽

10.1111/labr.12198 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Kollerup ◽

Jacob Ladenburg

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Discrete Choice ◽

Choice Experiment ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Job Attributes ◽

Returning To Work ◽

After Cancer

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Developing a Return to Work Intervention for Breast Cancer Survivors with the Intervention Mapping Protocol: Challenges and Opportunities of the Needs Assessment

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2018.00035 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jean-Baptiste Fassier ◽

Marion Lamort-Bouché ◽

Guillaume Broc ◽

Laure Guittard ◽

Julien Péron ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Return To Work ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Needs Assessment ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Intervention Mapping ◽

Intervention Mapping Protocol ◽

Work Intervention ◽

Challenges And Opportunities

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Breast cancer patients’ return to work (B-CARE): protocol of a longitudinal mixed-methods study aiming to explore medical and occupational rehabilitation of patients with breast cancer in Germany

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033533 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. e033533

Author(s):

Kati Hiltrop ◽

Paula Heidkamp ◽

Christoph Kowalski ◽

Nicole Ernstmann

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Return To Work ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Occupational Rehabilitation ◽

Medical Rehabilitation ◽

Insurance Scheme ◽

Pension Insurance ◽

Care Protocol

IntroductionIn recent years, research has been done on determinants of return to work (RTW) in cancer survivors and their long-term work outcomes. Nevertheless, little is known about the survivors’ evaluation of these outcomes in terms of job satisfaction and voluntariness. Hence, B-CARE aims at filling the research gap by providing a longitudinal cohort study investigating medical and occupational rehabilitation including an evaluation by breast cancer survivors.Methods and analysisA mixed-methods approach, combining a quantitative survey with qualitative semi-structured interviews, is used to study breast cancer survivors 5–6 years after diagnosis. These data will be linked to data from prior waves of patients during hospitalisation and 10 and 40 weeks after hospital discharge as well as routine data from the German Statutory Pension Insurance Scheme and German Cancer Society if available. The actual survey focuses on determinants of medical rehabilitation use, RTW, subsequent employment patterns post care as well as the voluntariness of and satisfaction with job changes.Ethics and disseminationA positive vote from the ethics committee of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn has been obtained. Data protection regulations will be adhered to for all handled data. Personal identifiers of participants will be pseudonymised. Dissemination strategies include a workshop to discuss results among stakeholders such as representatives of the German Statutory Pension Insurance Scheme, social workers and self-help groups.Trial registration numberGerman Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00016982); Pre-results.

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