Employment challenges for cancer survivors

TY - JOUR

T1 - Employment challenges for cancer survivors

AU - Mehnert, Anja

AU - de Boer, Angela

AU - Feuerstein, Michael

N1 - Copyright © 2013 American Cancer Society.

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - There is a considerable body of evidence about the adverse effects of cancer and cancer treatments on employment, work ability, work performance, and work satisfaction among cancer survivors. There is also a growing consensus that cancer survivorship research needs to address the large variety of short-term and long-term work-related problems and that programs to support return to work and employment should be developed and integrated into the follow-up survivorship care of cancer patients. Cancer survivorship and employment can be considered from the perspective of the cancer survivor, the caregiver and the family, the employer and coworkers, the health care providers, and the community or society-elements that comprise many similarities but also differences between Europe and the Unites States and that may affect employment and return to work among cancer survivors in different ways. Previous research has specifically addressed the likelihood and timeliness of work return, including factors that promote and hinder return to work and work performance, and intervention studies and programs that focus on psychological, physical, pharmacologic, or multidisciplinary approaches to work. The area of work disability has emerged as an international field with research from areas throughout the globe. In this article, the authors provide an overview of the current state of scientific research in these areas and further provide a cancer survivorship and work model that integrates significant individual cancer-related, treatment-related, and work-related factors and outcomes. The report concludes with a discussion of European and American contributions and possible future directions for the enhancement of current efforts.

AB - There is a considerable body of evidence about the adverse effects of cancer and cancer treatments on employment, work ability, work performance, and work satisfaction among cancer survivors. There is also a growing consensus that cancer survivorship research needs to address the large variety of short-term and long-term work-related problems and that programs to support return to work and employment should be developed and integrated into the follow-up survivorship care of cancer patients. Cancer survivorship and employment can be considered from the perspective of the cancer survivor, the caregiver and the family, the employer and coworkers, the health care providers, and the community or society-elements that comprise many similarities but also differences between Europe and the Unites States and that may affect employment and return to work among cancer survivors in different ways. Previous research has specifically addressed the likelihood and timeliness of work return, including factors that promote and hinder return to work and work performance, and intervention studies and programs that focus on psychological, physical, pharmacologic, or multidisciplinary approaches to work. The area of work disability has emerged as an international field with research from areas throughout the globe. In this article, the authors provide an overview of the current state of scientific research in these areas and further provide a cancer survivorship and work model that integrates significant individual cancer-related, treatment-related, and work-related factors and outcomes. The report concludes with a discussion of European and American contributions and possible future directions for the enhancement of current efforts.

KW - Disabled Persons

KW - Employment

KW - Europe

KW - Humans

KW - Neoplasms

KW - Quality of Life

KW - Return to Work

KW - Social Support

KW - Survivors

KW - United States

U2 - 10.1002/cncr.28067

DO - 10.1002/cncr.28067

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 23695927

VL - 119

SP - 2151

EP - 2159

JO - CANCER-AM CANCER SOC

JF - CANCER-AM CANCER SOC

SN - 0008-543X

IS - Suppl 11

ER -