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A sequential explanatory study of the employment experiences of population-based breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer survivors

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Abstract

Purpose

Cancer treatment often leads to work disruptions including loss of income, resulting in long-term financial instability for cancer survivors and their informal caregivers.

Methods

In this sequential explanatory study, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of employment experiences among ethnically diverse, working-age individuals diagnosed with breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer. Following the survey, we conducted semi-structured interviews with cancer survivors and informal caregivers to explore changes in employment status and coping techniques to manage these changes.

Results

Among employed survivors (n = 333), cancer caused numerous work disruptions including issues with physical tasks (53.8%), mental tasks (46.5%) and productivity (76.0%) in the workplace. Prostate cancer survivors reported fewer work disruptions than female breast and male and female colorectal cancer survivors. Paid time off and flexible work schedules were work accommodations reported by 52.6% and 36.3% of survivors, respectively. In an adjusted regression analysis, household income was positively associated with having received a work accommodation. From the qualitative component of the study (survivors n = 17; caregivers n = 11), three key themes emerged: work disruptions, work accommodations, and coping mechanisms to address the disruptions. Survivors and caregivers shared concerns about lack of support at work and resources to navigate issues caused by changes in employment.

Conclusions

This study characterized employment changes among a diverse group of cancer survivors. Work accommodations were identified as a specific unmet need, particularly among low-income cancer survivors. Addressing changes in employment among specific groups of cancer survivors and caregivers is critical to mitigate potential long-term consequences of cancer.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy concerns but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

This research used the facilities or services of the Behavioral Measurement and Population Sciences (BMPS) Shared Resource, a facility supported by the State of New Mexico and the UNM Cancer Center P30CA118100.

Funding

This work was supported by the American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant HSC-21094 and the University of New Mexico Cancer Center Support Grant P30CA118100. This project was also supported by Contract HHSN261201800014I, Task Order HHSN26100001 from the National Cancer Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Shoshana Adler Jaffe, Dolores D. Guest, Andrew L. Sussman, Charles L. Wiggins & Jean A. McDougall

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Dolores D. Guest, Charles L. Wiggins, Jessica Anderson & Jean A. McDougall

  3. Department of Community and Family Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Andrew L. Sussman

  4. New Mexico Tumor Registry, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Charles L. Wiggins

Authors
  1. Shoshana Adler Jaffe
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  2. Dolores D. Guest
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  4. Charles L. Wiggins
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  6. Jean A. McDougall
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shoshana Adler Jaffe.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was reviewed and approved by the UNM-HSC Institutional Review Board (Study ID: 18-298) and all study procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Jaffe, S.A., Guest, D.D., Sussman, A.L. et al. A sequential explanatory study of the employment experiences of population-based breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer survivors. Cancer Causes Control 32, 1213–1225 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-021-01467-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-021-01467-5

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