Abstract
BackgroundEmployment is an important factor in quality of life. For vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients, employment is not self-evident, because of the sequelae of the disease or its treatment and their effects on daily life.ObjectivesThis study assessed employment status, sick leave (absenteeism) and being less productive at work (presenteeism) in the long-term follow-up of VS patients, and evaluated the impact of treatment strategy (active surveillance, surgery or radiotherapy).MethodsA cross-sectional survey study was performed in a tertiary university hospital in the Netherlands. Patients completed the iMTA-post productivity questionnaire (iPCQ). Employment status was compared to that of the general Dutch population. Employment, absenteeism and presenteeism were compared between patients under active surveillance, patients after radiotherapy and post-surgical patients.ResultIn total 239 patients participated, of which 67% were employed at the time of the study. Only 14% had a disability pension, which was comparable to the age-matched general Dutch population. The proportion of patients with absenteeism was 8%, resulting in a 4% reduction of working hours. Presenteeism was reported by 14% of patients, resulting in a 2% reduction of working hours. The median number of working hours per week was 36, and since the diagnosis, these hours had been reduced by 6%. There were no significant differences between treatment modalities.ConclusionOn average, long-term employment status and working hours of VS patients are comparable to the age-matched general population. Treatment strategies do not seem to differentially impact on long-term employment of VS patients.
Highlights
Despite the benign character of vestibular schwannomas (VS), the tumor can have a substantial impact on patients’lives
On average, long-term employment status and working hours of VS patients are comparable to the age-matched general population
Two patients were excluded because histology showed meningioma rather than schwannoma and two patients did not complete any questions after providing informed consent (Fig. 1)
Summary
Despite the benign character of vestibular schwannomas (VS), the tumor can have a substantial impact on patients’lives. Despite the benign character of vestibular schwannomas (VS), the tumor can have a substantial impact on patients’. Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, RC Leiden, The Netherlands. Multiple treatment options exist for sporadic VS, which can be subdivided in three broad categories: active surveillance, radiotherapy and surgery. The treatment of choice depends on tumor characteristics (i.e., tumor size, progression), patient characteristics (i.e., age, symptoms, patient preference) and probably on other factors such as availability in the particular hospital. Radiotherapy is aimed at arrest of tumor progression, while the tumor remains in situ. Active surveillance does not intervene with the tumor, but relies on. For vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients, employment is not self-evident, because of the sequelae of the disease or its treatment and their effects on daily life
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