Etude "Cancer du sein et emploi"

Objectives
Due to increasing treatment efficiency, more breast cancer patients can consider work resumption. Because of its multifactorial nature, return to work (RTW) remains a challenge. The objective of this study is to explore facilitators and barriers to the RTW process as experienced by breast cancer patients and to describe their return to work trajectories.
Methods
Women under treatment in 4 Belgian oncology centres were invited to participate in the survey. Inclusion criteria were primary breast cancer; stage I, II or III; aged between 18 and 60; working at the time of diagnosis as employee or civil servant. Participating patients completed a questionnaire at inclusion (within 3 months of diagnosis) and underwent an in-depth interview six months later. The interview focused on experiences of being work disabled and (preparation of) return to work. The interviews were fully transcribed and a thematic analysis was carried out by two independent researchers.
Results
A total of 44 women could be included in the study between July 2014 and February 2015. By the time of the interview, 18 women had returned to work; 3 had resumed work while being in treatment; and 11 women had a therapeutic RTW on part-time basis.
Breast cancer patients report feelings of fear, guilt, and pressure concerning work resumption. They have complaints of pain, fatigue and loss of concentration. They feel ill-informed about financial implications of being work disabled and of partial work resumption and about possibilities to resume work in a flexible way. They are in favour of a more flexible work schedule at the workplace. Some women aspire to a career transition but feel that such a transition is not realistic at the time being due to their health status, energy level or financial situation.
Conclusion
Better information from healthcare professionals is needed to support women’s work resumption. Idiosyncratic work resumption trajectories point to the need of an individual approach of work resumption management.