Returning to work after a sickness absence due to cancer: a cohort study of salaried workers in Catalonia (Spain)

Return to work after cancer-the impact of working conditions: A Norwegian Register-based Study

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to compare a cohort of cancer survivors with a cohort of cancer-free employees (1) with respect to employment prospects over a 15-year period and (2) with respect to the differential impact of working conditions on employment over this time period.

METHODS

The cancer cohort is retrieved from the Cancer Registry of Norway, while data on the non-cancer cohort are retrieved from register data managed by Statistics Norway. Job exposure matrices were used to remedy the lack of working-conditions information in the register data. We use nearest-neighbor matching to match the non-cancer cohort (the control group) to the cancer-survivor cohort (the treatment group). Cox regression analysis was applied to examine the relationships between working conditions, employment, and cancer. The results are reported separately for mechanical-job exposures and psychosocial exposures, as well as by gender.

RESULTS

Cancer survivors are more likely to experience reduced employment as compared to individuals without a history of cancer. Male cancer survivors in physically demanding occupations have an increased risk of reduced employment after being diagnosed with cancer. This does not apply to female cancer survivors. Regarding the impact of psychosocial exposures on employment, we find no differences over time between cancer survivors and the non-cancer population.

CONCLUSIONS

Male cancer survivors in physically demanding occupations have an increased risk of reduced employment after being diagnosed with cancer, whereas this is not the case for female cancer survivors. Psychosocial exposures do not impact the relative risk of reduced employment over time.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

We suggest that return to work after cancer should be considered a process rather than only the re-entry step of resuming work. Thus, it is important to provide long-term support for cancer survivors. We recommend providing more attention to working conditions, particularly in occupations that involve a high level of mechanical-job exposures.

Labour market participation after sickness absence due to cancer: a dynamic cohort study in Catalonia (Spain)

BACKGROUND

The consequences of cancer on working until retirement age remain unclear. This study aimed to analyse working life considering all possible labour market states in a sample of workers after sickness absence (SA) due to cancer and to compare their working life paths to those of a sample of workers without SA and with an SA due to other diseases.

METHODS

This was a retrospective dynamic cohort study among social security affiliates in Catalonia from 2012-2018. Cases consisted of workers with an SA due to cancer between 2012-2015 (N = 516) and were individually age- and sex-matched with those of affiliates with an SA due to other diagnoses and workers without an SA. All workers (N = 1,548, 56% women) were followed up from entry into the cohort until the end of 2018 to characterise nine possible weekly labour states. Sequence analysis, optimal matching, and multinomial logistic regression were used to identify and assess the probability of future labour market participation patterns (LMPPs). All analyses were stratified by sex.

RESULTS

Compared with workers with an SA due to cancer, male workers with no SA and SA due to other causes showed a lower probability of being in the LMPP of death (aRRR 0.02, 95% CI: 0.00‒0.16; aRRR 0.17, 95% CI: 0.06‒0.46, respectively) and, among women, a lower probability of permanent disability and death (aRRR 0.24, 95% CI: 0.10‒0.57; aRRR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.19‒0.83, respectively). Compared to workers with SA due to cancer, the risk of early retirement was lower among workers with no SA (women, aRRR 0.60, 95% CI: 0.22‒1.65; men, aRRR 0.64, 95% CI: 0.27‒1.52), although these results were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Workplaces, many of which have policies common to all diagnoses, should be modified to the needs of cancer survivors to prevent an increasing frequency of early retirement and permanent disability when possible. Future studies should assess the impact of cancer on premature exit from the labour market among survivors, depending on cancer localisation and type of treatment.

Sustainable return to work among breast cancer survivors

PURPOSE

This study assessed sustainable return to work (SRTW) of breast cancer survivors (BCS).

METHODS

We used data from the prospective French cohort, CANTO. We included 1811 stage I-III BCS who were <57 years old and employed at the moment of diagnosis and working 2 years after diagnosis. Using logistic regression, we investigated the role of clinical, health and socio-economic factors, and the work environment on SRTW 3 years after diagnosis. We compared having any sick leave with having worked continuously and being unemployed to having worked continuously between 2 and 3 years after diagnosis.

RESULTS

Overall, 77% (n = 1395) worked continuously after return to work (RTW). Out of the other 416 BCS, 66% had any sick leave period, 33% had been unemployed, 4% had an early retirement, 2% a disability and 1% another status (multiple situations possible). Being on sick leave was associated with age > 50 (OR = 0.59; 95%CI = 0.43-0.82), stage III (2.56; 1.70-3.85), tumour subtype HR+/HER2+ (0.61; 0.39-0.95), severe fatigue (1.45; 1.06-1.98), workplace accommodations (1.63; 1.14-2.33) and life priorities (0.71; 0.53-0.95). Unemployment was associated with age > 50 (0.45; 0.29-0.72), working in the public sector (0.31; 0.19-0.51), for a small company (3.00; 1.74-5.20) and having a fixed-term contract (7.50; 4.74-11.86).

CONCLUSIONS

A high number of BCS have periods of sick leave or unemployment after RTW. The determinants differ between sick leave and unemployment.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

BCS need to be supported even after RTW, which should be regarded as a process.

Breast cancer and occupation: Non-parametric and parametric net survival analyses among Swiss women (1990-2014)

Introduction

Occupation can contribute to differences in risk and stage at diagnosis of breast cancer. This study aimed at determining whether occupation, along with skill level and the socio-professional category, affect the breast cancer survival (BCS) up to 10 years after diagnosis.

Materials and methods

We used cancer registry records to identify women diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer in western Switzerland over the period 1990-2014 and matched them with the Swiss National Cohort. The effect of work-related variables on BCS was assessed using non-parametric and parametric net survival methods.

Results

Study sample included 8,678 women. In the non-parametric analysis, we observed a statistically significant effect of all work-related variables on BCS. Women in elementary occupations, with low skill level, and in paid employment not classified elsewhere, had the lowest BCS, while professionals, those with the highest skill level and belonging to top management and independent profession category had the highest BCS. The parametric analysis confirmed this pattern. Considering elementary occupations as reference, all occupations but Craft and related trades had a hazard ratio (HR) below 1. Among professionals, technicians and associate professionals, and clerks, the protective effect of occupation was statistically significant and remained unchanged after adjustment for age, calendar period, registry, nationality, and histological type. After adjusting for tumor stage, the HRs increased only slightly, though turned non-significant. The same effect was observed in top management and independent professions and supervisors, low level management and skilled laborers, compared to unskilled employees.

Conclusion

These results suggest that work-related factors may affect BCS. Yet, this study was conducted using a limited set of covariates and a relatively small study sample. Therefore, further larger studies are needed for more detailed analyses of at risk occupations and working conditions and assessing the potential interaction between work-related variables and tumor stage.

Work-Related Factors and Lung Cancer Survival: A Population-Based Study in Switzerland (1990-2014)

While previous Swiss studies have demonstrated differences in lung cancer mortality between occupational groups, no estimates are available on the association of occupation-related factors with lung cancer survival. This study aimed at determining whether occupation or work-related factors after diagnosis affect lung cancer survival. We used cancer registry records to identify lung cancer patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2014 in western Switzerland (n = 5773) matched with the Swiss National Cohort. The effect of occupation, the skill level required for the occupation, and the socio-professional category on 5-year lung cancer survival was assessed using non-parametric and parametric methods, controlling for histological type and tumour stage. We found that the net survival varied across skill levels and that the lowest skill level was associated with worse survival in both men and women. In the parametric models with minimal adjustment, we identified several occupational groups at higher risk of mortality compared to the reference category, particularly among men. After adjustment for histological type of lung cancer and tumour stage at diagnosis, most hazard ratios remained higher than 1, though non-statistically significant. Compared to top managers and self-employed workers, workers in paid employment without specific information on occupation were identified as the most at-risk socio-professional category in nearly all models. As this study was conducted using a relatively small sample and limited set of covariates, further studies are required, taking into account smoking habits and administrated cancer treatments. Information on return to work and working conditions before and after lung cancer diagnosis will also be highly valuable for analysing their effect on net lung cancer survival in large nationwide or international studies. Such studies are essential for informing health and social protection systems, which should guarantee appropriate work conditions for cancer survivors, beneficial for their quality of life and survival.