Return to work following diagnosis of low-grade glioma

Rydén, Isabelle; Carstam, Louise; Gulati, Sasha; Smits, Anja; Sunnerhagen, Katharina S.; Hellström, Per; Henriksson, Roger; Bártek, Jiří; Salvesen, Øyvind; Jakola, Asgeir Store

doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000009982

Cited by 26 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Of the remaining 242 patients, we excluded another 36 patients from the subpopulation that were not on registered sick leave on the day of surgery. As described previously [ 32 , 42 ], this indicated that those patients were detached from the Swedish sick leave system and did not consistently receive compensation for sick leave. The remaining 206 patients constituted the return to work cohort (RTW cohort).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 77%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Depression and ability to work after vestibular schwannoma surgery: a nationwide registry-based matched cohort study on antidepressants, sedatives, and sick leave

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background In patients with vestibular schwannomas (VS), tumor control is often achieved, and life expectancy is relatively good. The main risks of surgical treatment are hearing loss and facial nerve function. The occurrence of mood and sleeping disorders in relation to surgery is an important aspect of health that has rarely been studied. Similarly, only limited data exist on the rate of sick leave for patients with VS. In this nationwide registry-based study, we define the use of antidepressants and sedatives and the sick leave pattern before and after VS surgery. Methods Adult patients with histopathologically verified VS were identified in the Swedish Brain Tumor Registry (SBTR) and clinical data were linked to relevant national registries after assigning five matched controls to each patient. We studied patterns of dispensed antidepressants and sedative drugs as well as patterns of sick leave compared to respective controls at 2 years before and 2 years following surgery. Results We identified 333 patients and 1662 matched controls. The rate of antidepressant use was similar between patients and controls 2 years before surgery (6.0% vs 6.3%) and 2 years after surgery (10.1% vs 7.5%). The rate of sedative use was also similar 2 years before surgery (3.9% vs 4.3%) and 2 years after surgery (4.8% vs 5.3%). The rate of sick leave was similar at baseline between patients and controls, but at 2 years after surgery, 75% of patients vs 88% of controls (p < 0.01) had no registered sick leave. Long-term sick leave after surgery was predicted by use of sedatives (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.38–0.94, p = 0.03), more preoperative sick leave (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.89–0.93, p < 0.001), and new-onset neurological deficits after surgery (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.24–0.76, p = 0.004). Conclusion This nationwide study shows no significant differences in the use of antidepressants and sedatives between patients and controls, while the rate of postoperative sick leave was higher in patients than in controls after VS surgery. Our findings underpin the importance of avoiding surgical sequelae and facilitating return to normal professional life.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…The linkage of SBTR to other national registries has been described in our previous studies [ 32 , 42 ]. In short, SBTR is a nationwide, but regionally based, registry of adult (≥ 18 years) patients with primary brain tumors, with a surgically acquired histopathological diagnosis.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression and ability to work after vestibular schwannoma surgery: a nationwide registry-based matched cohort study on antidepressants, sedatives, and sick leave

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We did not compare our patient cohort to other tumor or spinal-trauma entities, as we only included patients undergoing spinal ependymoma surgery. While occupational reintegration data has been described for intracranial glioma patients 27 , 28 and a small group of spinal ependymoma patients 13 , there is no evidence on sport activities and recreation in primary spinal cord tumor patients. Comparable available studies mostly included patients suffering from spinal cord injuries, with considerably worse neurological and clinical function and more possibilities for systematic reintegration and support programs 15 , 29 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality of life and return to work and sports after spinal ependymoma resection

Butenschoen

Gloßner

Hostettler

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Adult spinal ependymoma presents a rare low-grade tumor entity. Due to its incidence peak in the fourth decade of life, it mostly affects patients during a professionally and physically active time of life. We performed a retrospective monocentric study, including all patients operated upon for spinal ependymoma between 2009 and 2020. We prospectively collected data on professional reintegration, physical activities and quality-of-life parameters using EQ-5D and SF-36. Issues encountered were assessed using existing spinal-cord-specific questionnaires and free-text questions. In total, 65 of 114 patients agreed to participate. Most patients suffered from only mild pre- and postoperative impairment on the modified McCormick scale, but 67% confirmed difficulties performing physical activities in which they previously engaged due to pain, coordination problems and fear of injuries after a median follow-up of 5.4 years. We observed a shift from full- to part-time employment and patients unable to work, independently from tumor dignity, age and neurological function. Despite its benign nature and occurrence of formal only mild neurological deficits, patients described severe difficulties returning to their preoperative physical activity and profession. Clinical scores such as the McCormick grade and muscle strength may not reflect the entire self-perceived impairment appropriately.

show abstract

“…With the increased survival rate of the, usually young, adults diagnosed with low-grade glioma, employment status is a highly relevant topic. Earlier studies reported RTW rates between 54% and 70.7% in a variety of patients with glioma with a mean follow-up time of 1–4 years after diagnosis ( 10 , 24 , 25 ). A possible explanation as to why the RTW rate in the current study is at the low end of this range is the longer time post-diagnosis, with patients often developing progressive cognitive deficits over time, and the fact that patients were at risk of tumour progression for longer and needed re-treatment (re-resection, chemotherapy of radiotherapy) or neuro-deterioration ( 26 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term employment status and the association with fatigue in patients with grade II glioma

Loon

Ernens²,

Heijenbrok‐Kal³

et al. 2021

J Rehabil Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To investigate employment status and return to work in relation to fatigue in patients with World Health Organization (WHO) grade II glioma. Design Exploratory cross-sectional study. Subjects Patients with grade II glioma, who underwent surgery between 2005 and 2016. Methods A postal survey was sent in 2019, which included the Short Form-Health and Labour Questionnaire and the Multi-dimensional Fatigue Index. Outcomes of fatigue in subgroups of (not-) return to work were compared using independent t-tests and x 2 tests. The association between fatigue and return to work was analysed using multivariable logistic regression. Results In total, 73 patients were included in the study (age at diagnosis 41.0 years (standard deviation (SD) 9.2 years), time post-diagnosis 8.0 years (interquartile range (IQR) 6-11 years). At diagnosis, 61 patients were employed and 32 returned to work during follow-up. The return to work group was significantly younger than the not-return to work group ( p = 0.007). The proportion of patients who indicated that the consequences of glioma had affected return to work, in terms of demotion or reduced working hours, was 68.7%. The not-return to work group reported significantly more fatigue in all domains than the return to work group (p < 0.05). Mental fatigue ( p = 0.023) and physical fatigue ( p = 0.065) were independently associated with return to work, adjusted for age, sex and the use of anti-epileptic drugs. Conclusion Long-term fatigue is associated with return to work in patients with grade II glioma. Patients who were able to work in the long term were less fatigued, younger, more often male, and used less anti-epileptic drugs than the patients who did not return to work. LAY ABSTRACT Patients with glioma have adult brain cancer. These patients are relatively young and are of working age when they develop this disease. Treatment options for glioma have improved over recent years, and patients will survive approximately 5-15 years. Almost all patients are of working age. Because of the increased survival time, patients find it important to continue to participate in society, especially in work. This study examined working patterns in patients with glioma several years after the start of their disease. Fifty-two percent of patients were working 8 years after the diagnosis of glioma. Many patients with brain tumours felt tired (fatigued), both mentally and physically. Patients who were able to work in the long term were less fatigued, younger, more often male, and used less anti-epileptic drugs than the patients who did not return to work.

show abstract

Return to work following diagnosis of low-grade glioma

Cited by 26 publications

References 51 publications

Depression and ability to work after vestibular schwannoma surgery: a nationwide registry-based matched cohort study on antidepressants, sedatives, and sick leave

Depression and ability to work after vestibular schwannoma surgery: a nationwide registry-based matched cohort study on antidepressants, sedatives, and sick leave

Quality of life and return to work and sports after spinal ependymoma resection

Long-term employment status and the association with fatigue in patients with grade II glioma

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About