Research indicates that the vast majority
of working women who develop breast cancer return to their
job after treatment and it helps to have an accommodating
employer.
"Working women who develop breast cancer can be encouraged
to know that they can maintain a high quality of life
after a breast cancer diagnosis because over 80 percent
of employed women in our study returned to their same
job position within one year of their cancer diagnosis,"
study chief Dr. Reynard R. Bouknight stated.
The findings are based on a study of 416 employed women
with recently diagnosed breast cancer who Bouknight and
colleagues interviewed 12 and 18 months after being diagnosed
with the disease.
Employer workplace accommodation was a key factor that
helped women return to work, the team reports in the Journal
of Clinical Oncology.
Eighty-seven percent of employers were willing to accommodate
their workers' illness and treatment needs. "Working breast
cancer survivors can be helped immensely by an employer
who is sensitive to their health care needs," said Bouknight
who is from Michigan State University in East Lansing.
Women who perceived that their employer was not supportive
were less likely to return to work.
Women were also less likely to return to work if they
had general poor health prior to the cancer diagnosis
or advanced tumors. Women who had to do a lot of heavy
lifting on the job were also less likely to return to
work.
"Working women," Bouknight offered, "should try to maintain
good general health since they will fair better if they
develop breast cancer. Regular breast cancer screening,"
he added, "is important for working women since they are
more likely to be able to return to their jobs if breast
cancer is diagnosed early."
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology, January 20, 2006.
