Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Occup Med (Lond). 2012 Jan;62(1):23-8. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqr177. Epub 2011 Nov 17.
Little is known about the balance between work demands and treatment plans for >4.3 million working-age cancer survivors in the USA.
To describe changes in work status for gynaecological cancer survivors during the first 6 months following diagnosis and their experience with their employers' programmes and policies.
One hundred and ten gynaecological cancer survivors who were working at the time of their cancer diagnosis completed a survey. Case record reviews documented their clinical characteristics and treatment details.
Ninety-five women (86%) had surgery; 81 (74%) received chemotherapy, radiotherapy or both in addition to surgery. Nine per cent of women said that they changed their treatment plan because of their jobs; in contrast, 62% of women said that they changed their work situation to accommodate their treatment plan. Overall, the most common month for women to stop working was Month 1 (41%), to decrease hours was Month 2 (32%) and to increase hours was Month 6 (8%). Twenty-eight per cent of women were aware of employer policies that assisted the return to work process; 70% of women were familiar with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and 56% with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Only 26% completed a formal request for work accommodations. After 6 months, 56 of 83 women (67%) remained working or had returned to work.
Work patterns varied for these gynaecological cancer survivors over the first 6 months following diagnosis. Opportunities exist to improve communication about work and treatment expectations between cancer survivors, occupational health professionals, employers and treating clinicians.
在美国，超过 430 万处于工作年龄的癌症幸存者的工作需求和治疗计划之间的平衡情况鲜为人知。
描述妇科癌症幸存者在诊断后最初 6 个月内的工作状态变化及其雇主计划和政策的体验。
110 名在癌症诊断时正在工作的妇科癌症幸存者完成了一项调查。病历回顾记录了他们的临床特征和治疗细节。
95 名女性（86%）接受了手术；81 名女性（74%）除手术外还接受了化疗、放疗或两者结合的治疗。9%的女性表示，由于工作原因改变了治疗计划；相比之下，62%的女性表示为了适应治疗计划而改变了工作情况。总体而言，女性停止工作最常见的月份是第 1 个月（41%），减少工作时间是第 2 个月（32%），增加工作时间是第 6 个月（8%）。28%的女性知道有助于重返工作岗位的雇主政策；70%的女性熟悉《家庭医疗休假法》（FMLA），56%的女性熟悉《美国残疾人法案》（ADA）。只有 26%的女性完成了正式的工作调整申请。6 个月后，83 名女性中有 56 名（67%）仍在工作或已重返工作岗位。
这些妇科癌症幸存者在诊断后最初 6 个月内的工作模式各不相同。存在机会改善癌症幸存者、职业健康专业人员、雇主和治疗临床医生之间关于工作和治疗期望的沟通。
