Employment After Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Among Women in the Sister and the Two Sister Studies.
Lucy A Peipins, Sabitha Dasari, Juan L Rodriguez and 3 others
PMID 33387171WHAT IT FOUND
Most breast cancer survivors kept their jobs, but those with neuropathy affecting work or poor general health were much more likely to lose employment.
Lymphedema was not a significant predictor. Survivors often worked fewer hours or feared losing insurance rather than quitting.
Key findings
01Neuropathy that affected work ability quite a bit or very much was one of the strongest predictors of losing employment.
02After adjustment, lymphedema was not associated with lost employment in this cohort of predominantly white-collar workers.
03Fair or poor general health and cancer recurrence were also significant predictors of lost employment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study population had higher income and education levels than the general breast cancer survivor population, and most were white-collar workers, which may explain why lymphedema was not a predictor of job loss. Employment status and symptom severity were self-reported, which introduces potential recall bias. The study is cross-sectional in its assessment of 'current' employment, so it cannot establish causality between specific symptoms and job loss over time. The cohort was drawn from volunteer studies, which may limit generalizability.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that lymphedema is a minor work issue for all survivors. This study found no association with job loss, but the participants were mostly white-collar workers with fewer physical demands. In populations with more physical job requirements, lymphedema may still be a significant barrier.