Helping Cancer Survivors Return to Work

Presented by:
Amye J. Tevaarwerk
Search for other papers by Amye J. Tevaarwerk in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
 MD
Restricted access

Work limitations due to health problems can range from mild or transient limitations to persistent, long‐term dysfunction and can lead to employment instability, underemployment, and even loss of employment. In fact, compared with a healthy matched control population, cancer survivors are 1.37 times more likely to be unemployed. Because patients with metastatic disease are particularly vulnerable, proactive discussion regarding the potential impact of treatment on employment and work outcomes may be beneficial. However, employment and financial toxicity are not topics that clinicians are necessarily trained to address. Financial counselors or patient navigators may be better able to offer a personalized approach and help survivors navigate the complex resources that are involved. Additional research into cancer‐related work outcomes is needed.

Disclosures: Dr. Tevaarwerk has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Correspondence: Amye J. Tevaarwerk, MD, University of Wisconsin, 1111 Highland Avenue, WIMR 6037, Madison, WI 53705. Email: at4@medicine.wisc.edu
  • Collapse
  • Expand
  • 1.

    National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Division of Cancer Control & Population Sciences. Employment outcomes among cancer survivors. Last updated: May 16, 2019. Accessed February 1, 2021. Available at: https://healthcaredelivery.cancer.gov/employment

    • PubMed
    • Export Citation
  • 2.

    de Boer AG, Taskila T, Ojajärvi A, et al. Cancer survivors and unemployment: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. JAMA 2009;301:753762.

  • 3.

    Tevaarwerk AJ, Kwekkeboom K, Buhr KA, et al. Results from a prospective longitudinal survey of employment and work outcomes in newly diagnosed cancer patients during and after curative-intent chemotherapy: a Wisconsin Oncology Network study. Cancer 2021;127:801808.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 4.

    Tevaarwerk AJ, Lee JW, Terhaar A, et al. Working after a metastatic cancer diagnosis: factors affecting employment in the metastatic setting from ECOG-ACRIN's Symptom Outcomes and Practice Patterns study. Cancer 2016;122:438446.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 5.

    Taskila T, Lindbohm ML, Martikainen R, et al. Cancer survivors' received and needed social support from their work place and the occupational health services. Support Cancer Care 2006;14:427435.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 6.

    Hoving JL, Broekhuizen MLA, Frings-Dresen MHW. Return to work of breast cancer survivors: a systematic review of intervention studies. BMC Cancer 2009;9:117.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 7.

    Di Meglio A, Menvielle G, Dumas A, et al. Body weight and return to work among survivors of early-stage breast cancer. ESMO Open 2020;5:e000908.

  • 8.

    de Moor JS, Alfano CM, Kent EE, et al. Recommendations for research and practice to improve work outcomes among cancer survivors. J Natl Cancer Inst 2018;110:10411047.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

Metrics

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 1299 469 97
PDF Downloads 462 84 5
EPUB Downloads 0 0 0