Abstract
BackgroundFew studies have been undertaken to understand the employment impact in patients with colorectal cancer and none in middle-aged individuals with cancer. This study described transitions in, and key factors influencing, work participation during the 12 months following a diagnosis of colorectal cancer.MethodsWe enrolled 239 adults during 2010 and 2011who were employed at the time of their colorectal cancer diagnosis and were prospectively followed over 12 months. They were compared to an age- and gender-matched general population group of 717 adults from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. Data were collected using telephone and postal surveys. Primary outcomes included work participation at 12 months, changes in hours worked and time to work re-entry. Multivariable logistic and Cox proportional hazards models were undertaken.ResultsA significantly higher proportion of participants with colorectal cancer (27%) had stopped working at 12 months than participants from the comparison group (8%) (p < 0.001). Participants with cancer who returned to work took a median of 91 days off work (25–75 percentiles: 14–183 days). For participants with cancer, predictors of not working at 12 months included: being older, lower BMI and lower physical well-being. Factors related to delayed work re-entry included not being university-educated, working for an employer with more than 20 employees in a non-professional or managerial role, longer hospital stay, poorer perceived financial status and having or had chemotherapy.ConclusionsIn middle-adulthood, those working and diagnosed with colorectal cancer can expect to take around three months off work. Individuals treated with chemotherapy, without a university degree and from large employers could be targeted for specific assistance for a more timely work entry.Trial registrationACTRN12611000530921Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-963) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Few studies have been undertaken to understand the employment impact in patients with colorectal cancer and none in middle-aged individuals with cancer
Adjuvant chemotherapy is given to approximately 50% of patients with colorectal cancer [5,6] and during receipt of this therapy an individual’s work ability can be impeded through muscle fatigue, anaemia, hair loss, medication effects, peripheral neuropathy and impaired mental acuity or ‘chemo brain’ [7]
This study reports the results of a prospective, population-based study of middle-aged Australian adults with colorectal cancer and their work experiences
Summary
Few studies have been undertaken to understand the employment impact in patients with colorectal cancer and none in middle-aged individuals with cancer. In a recent review of 64 studies that addressed employment issues following cancer, pooled results indicated 64% of those working at the time of diagnosis returned to work after cancer (range 24-94% in individual studies) [8]. Of those who returned to work, 40% had continued to work through their treatment or had returned to work by 6 months, 62% were working at 12 months, 73% by 18 months and 89% by 24 months [9]. Most of the research to date has concentrated on breast cancer survivors so the relevance for a colorectal cancer population is unclear [8]
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