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Employment in French young adult survivors of childhood leukemia: an LEA study (for Leucemies de l’Enfant et de l’Adolescent—childhood and adolescent leukemia)

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Abstract

Purpose

Our principal aim was to assess the occupational outcomes of French survivors of childhood leukemia, compared to national population. The secondary objective was to identify determinants linked with employment stability after childhood leukemia.

Methods

All survivors aged 15 and over enrolled in the French LEA Cohort (Childhood and Adolescent Leukemia) were included. Occupational data were self-reported. The occupational distributions expected in the cohort for each age range were established based on the distribution in France as reference, and comparisons between observed and expected distributions were performed. Logistic regression model was used to explore determinants of stability of survivors’ employment.

Results

The questionnaire was completed by 845 eligible survivors (response rate 87.8 %), with a mean age of 22.3 ± 5.4 years and a mean follow-up duration of 14.3 ± 6.3 years. Among the 361 survivors currently in the labor market, 36 (10.0 %) were seeking a job, which is significantly lower than expected (19.3 %) compared to French population. Conversely, among those currently employed, the number of survivors in unstable employment (43.9 %) was significantly higher than expected (33.5 %). Younger age and higher number of late effects were risk factors for unstable employment.

Conclusions

While the employment rate of the young French adult population of childhood leukemia survivors seems rather positive, access to a steady job appears to be compromised for some survivors.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

A strategy to better identify particular subgroups of survivors at greatest risk for difficulties in their professional achievement will help ensure the development of specific intervention strategies and support procedures.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all of the survivors who agreed to participate in this study. For her participation with the data entry, the authors sincerely thank T Auriol-Vigne, as well as A Loundou for his contribution to the statistical analyses. The authors gratefully acknowledge the entire LEA Study Group (Online Resource 2).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. EA 3279 - Public Health, Chronic Diseases and Quality of Life - Research Unit, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, 13284, France

    Julie Berbis, Gérard Michel, Floriane Garnier, Marie-Pascale Lehucher-Michel & Pascal Auquier

  2. Occupational Medicine and Health Department, APHM, Groupe Hospitalier Timone, 13385, Marseille, France

    Céline Reggio & Marie-Pascale Lehucher-Michel

  3. Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Timone Enfants Hospital and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France

    Gérard Michel

  4. Department of Pediatric Onco-Haematology, Hôpital d’Enfants de Brabois, Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, France

    Pascal Chastagner

  5. Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Lyon, Lyon, France

    Yves Bertrand

  6. Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, CIC Inserm 501, University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    Justyna Kanold

  7. Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Department, University Hospital, Montpellier, France

    Nicolas Sirvent

  8. Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University Hospital of Grenoble, Grenoble, France

    Dominique Plantaz

  9. Department of Paediatric Onco-haematology, APHP, Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France

    André Baruchel

  10. Department of Paediatric Onco-haematology, APHP, GHUEP, Armand Trousseau Hospital, Paris, 75012, France

    Marie-Dominique Tabone

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  1. Julie Berbis
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  2. Céline Reggio
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  3. Gérard Michel
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  5. Yves Bertrand
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  8. Dominique Plantaz
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  9. André Baruchel
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  10. Marie-Dominique Tabone
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  11. Floriane Garnier
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  12. Marie-Pascale Lehucher-Michel
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  13. Pascal Auquier
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julie Berbis.

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Funding

The study was supported by the French National Clinical Research Program, the French National Cancer Institute (InCA), the French National Research Agency (ANR), the Cancéropôle PACA, the Regional Council PACA and the French Institute for Public Health Research (IRESP).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Berbis, J., Reggio, C., Michel, G. et al. Employment in French young adult survivors of childhood leukemia: an LEA study (for Leucemies de l’Enfant et de l’Adolescent—childhood and adolescent leukemia). J Cancer Surviv 10, 1058–1066 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-016-0549-0

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