Returning to Work After Cancer Treatment: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study Guided by Transitions Theory.
Jacqueline Galica, Agnès Alsius, Lauren Walker and 5 others
PMID 39778099WHAT IT FOUND
Cancer survivors returning to work reported anxiety, fear of recurrence, and relationship strain alongside lost productivity.
They said gradual returns, workplace flexibility, and clear information about treatment effects helped; some had not been told about cognitive changes.
Key findings
0123 usable survey responses showed an average estimated at-work productivity loss of 7.42%, on a scale where the greatest possible loss is 24.9%.
02Greater productivity loss was associated with higher anxiety and more unmet relationship needs.
03Participants described anxiety, fear of recurrence, financial pressure, stigma, fatigue, and brain fog as making return to work hard, while gradual returns and flexibility helped.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The survey analysed only 23 people, so the statistical associations are fragile. The sample was mostly breast cancer survivors with higher education and well-paying jobs, so results may not apply to other cancer types or lower-income workers. The design measured things at the same time, so it cannot show whether anxiety caused productivity loss or productivity loss caused anxiety. Some participants had been back at work for many months, which may affect recall.
Declared interests
Funded by a Social Sciences and Human Research Council Insight Development Grant. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that anxiety causes lost productivity or that screening and education will improve work outcomes. The study was exploratory and cross-sectional, and it did not test an intervention.