Returning to work in lung cancer survivors—a multi-center cross-sectional study in Germany

Abstract

Purpose To investigate the work situation of lung cancer survivors and to identify the factors associated with their returning to work. Methods Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were used to evaluate study population characteristics and independent factors of subsequently returning to work. To analyze time to return to work, Cox regression was used. Results The study sample included 232 lung cancer survivors of working age from 717 enrolled participants in the multi-center cross-sectional LARIS (Quality of Life and Psychosocial Rehabilitation in Lung Cancer Survivors) study. About 67% of the survivors were not employed during the survey. More than 51% of the survivors who were employed before their illness did not return to their work. The survivors who had returned to their careers were younger, associated with higher household income, lower fatigue score, and stable relationship and vocational training. Patients who received social service counseling showed a higher chance of regaining their career. Conclusions Lung cancer survivors were found to be associated with a high risk of unemployment and very low professional reintegration after interruption due to illness. More comprehensive studies are needed to support lung cancer survivors and targeting of patients in need of special attention in rehabilitation that would benefit from the findings in the present study.

Epidemiological Study of Return to Work and Mortality in Lung Cancer Survivors

“…Earle and his colleagues reported only 21% of lung cancer survivors remained employed in the 15 months after their cancer diagnosis [ 27 ]. A recent cross-sectional study from Germany revealed a 33% employment rate within 1 year after being diagnosed with lung cancer [ 28 ]. Our study found a 41% employment rate in the fifth year of the follow-up period.…”

Quality of life in lung cancer survivors treated with tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKI): results from the multi-centre cross-sectional German study LARIS

“…In this study, primary lung cancer survivors and patients who had survived at least one year after the diagnosis were enrolled. Further inclusion criteria were: (1) at least 18 years of age, (2) lung cancer-related admission to the hospital between 2004 and 2014, and (3) being mentally and verbally able to take part in a telephone interview in German (Eichler et al 2018 ; Hechtner et al 2019 ; Rashid 2021 ).…”

Returning to work in cancer survivors: a multi-center cross-sectional study in Spain

“…Approximately 50% of cancer patients are employed at the time of diagnosis so returning to work is an important issue (7)(8)(9)(10)(11) . Working has been pointed out by several authors as of key importance (11)(12)(13) since it relates to self-efficacy, belonging, and financial security (10,14) .…”