Returning to Work After a Sickness Absence Due to Cancer: A Cohort Study of Salaried Workers in Catalonia (Spain)

Abstract

Background: Cancer incidence and survival rates have increased in the last decades and as a result, the number of working age people diagnosed with cancer who return to work. In this study the probability of accumulating days of employment and employment participation trajectories (EPTs) in a sample of salaried workers in Catalonia (Spain) who had a sickness absence (SA) due to cancer were compared to salaried workers with SA due to other diagnoses or without SA.Methods: Each individual with SA due to cancer between 2012-2015 was matched by age, sex, and time at risk to a worker with SA due to other diagnoses and another worker without SA. Accumulated days of employment were measured, and negative binomial Poisson models were applied to assess differences between comparison groups. Latent class models were applied to identify EPTs and multinomial regression models to analyse the probability of belonging to one EPT of each group.Results: Men and women without SA or with SA due to other diagnoses had at least a 9% higher probability of continuing in employment compared to workers who had an SA due to cancer, especially among men without SA (adjusted IRR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.06‒1.53). Men without SA had the highest probability of having high stable EPT compared to workers who had an SA due to cancer (adjusted RRR 3.21, 95% CI: 1.87‒5.50). Conclusions: Even though workers with SA due to cancer continue working after an SA, they do it less often than matched controls and with a less stable employment trajectory. Health and social protection systems should guaranty cancer survivors the opportunity to continue voluntary participation in the labour market.

Sustainable return to work among breast cancer survivors

“…Literature shows cancer survivors have more frequent sick leaves and worse job retention than the general population. 5,10 The proportion of cancer survivors working peaks at 3-4 years after diagnosis and then decreases again. 5,33 While most studies have studied RTW, [5][6][7]9,16 our study investigates job trajectories after BC in more detail and adds to the literature by documenting SRTW among BCS.…”

“…5 However, the challenge goes beyond return to work (RTW) and sustainable RTW (SRTW) is an issue for many BCS who often have several sick leaves or struggle to retain their jobs after RTW. [6][7][8][9][10] Employment after cancer can be affected by different factors. Evidence from studies including survivors from all cancer sites found that clinical factors, sociodemographic factors, including older age, low socio-economic status, workplace environment (e.g.…”