Abstract
Purpose To identify personal, occupational and clinical factors associated with the lifting of restrictions on duties among Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel who have returned to work after surviving primary cancer treatment. Methods A retrospective cohort of 205 RAF personnel aged 18–58 with cancer diagnosed between 2001 and 2011 was followed-up until May 2012. Personal, occupational, and clinical information was extracted from occupational health and primary care records. Predictors of the lifting of (a) employment restrictions on UK duties at 18 months after diagnosis and (b) the lifting of all deployment restrictions at the end of the study were analysed using logistic and Cox regression models. Results At 18 months, 62% of the cancer survivors had restrictions on their UK duties lifted. The positive independent predictors of unrestricted UK duties are testicular cancer (OR 5.34; 95% CI 1.21–23.6) and no treatment being required (16.8; 1.11–255.2). The lifting of all employment restrictions and return to full deployability was achieved by 41% of the participants (median time 2.1 years), with testicular cancer (HR 2.69; 95% CI 1.38–5.26) and age at diagnosis (1.05; 1.01–1.09) being the positive independent predictors of faster lifting of all restrictions. Conclusion Diagnostic group, prognosis and type of treatment are not the only predictor of employment outcome after cancer. Patient-centred factors such as smoking, age, fatigue, job status, job type and length of employment are also important predictors of return to pre-morbid job function in cancer survivors in the RAF.
Highlights
There are currently over 750,000 people of working age in the UK living with a cancer diagnosis, with 120,000 new cases reported each year [1]
The lifting of all employment restrictions and return to full deployability was achieved by 41% of the participants, with testicular cancer (HR 2.69; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.38–5.26) and age at diagnosis (1.05; 1.01–1.09) being the positive independent predictors of faster lifting of all restrictions
The broad categories of job function comprise: L1/2—no restrictions; L3—minor restrictions where the individual can undertake all their UK duties, but not the more arduous general military duties; and L4—major restrictions where the individual is unable to fully undertake their UK duties or general military duties
Summary
There are currently over 750,000 people of working age in the UK living with a cancer diagnosis, with 120,000 new cases reported each year [1]. These substantial numbers, along with significant increases in survival due to early. Detection and treatment, have resulted in increasing numbers of cancer survivors returning to work [2, 3]. The study by Ohguri et al in Japan was one of the few studies which investigated influences on return to full job function after cancer patients RTW [12]. In Ohguri et al’s retrospective study, 134 cancer survivors in a single manufacturing company were assessed by an occupational physician, 59% required adjustments to their original
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
