Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA 94612, USA.
Psychooncology. 2013 Jun;22(6):1411-20. doi: 10.1002/pon.3157. Epub 2012 Aug 22.
Breast cancer survivors are less likely to be employed than similar healthy women, yet effects of employment on the well being of survivors are largely unknown. In a prospective cohort study of 2013 women diagnosed from 2006 to 2011 with invasive breast cancer in Kaiser Permanente Northern California, we describe associations between hours worked per week and change in employment with quality of life (QOL) from diagnosis through active treatment.
Participants completed information on employment status and QOL approximately 2 and 8 months post-diagnosis. QOL was assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy--Breast Cancer. Multivariable linear regression models were adjusted for potential confounders including demographic, diagnostic, and medical care factors to examine associations between employment and QOL.
At baseline, overall well being was higher for women who worked at least some hours per week compared with women who were not working. Women working 1-19 h/week at baseline also had higher functional well being compared with women who were not working. There was a significant, positive association between hours worked per week and physical and social well being. At the 6-month follow-up, women working at least 20 h/week had higher physical and functional well being than those who were not working. Lower scores for physical and functional well being were observed among women who stopped working during the 6-month follow-up period.
Continuing to work after a breast cancer diagnosis may be beneficial to multiple areas of QOL. Strategies to help women continue working through treatment should be explored.
乳腺癌幸存者的就业率低于相似的健康女性，但就业对幸存者健康状况的影响在很大程度上尚未可知。在一项对 2006 年至 2011 年期间在 Kaiser Permanente 北加利福尼亚州被诊断为浸润性乳腺癌的 2013 名女性的前瞻性队列研究中，我们描述了每周工作时间与就业变化与从诊断到积极治疗期间生活质量（QOL）之间的关系。
参与者在诊断后约 2 个月和 8 个月时完成了关于就业状况和 QOL 的信息。QOL 通过功能性癌症治疗评估-乳腺癌评估。多变量线性回归模型调整了潜在混杂因素，包括人口统计学、诊断和医疗保健因素，以检查就业与 QOL 之间的关联。
在基线时，与不工作的女性相比，每周至少工作一些小时的女性整体幸福感更高。基线时每周工作 1-19 小时的女性的功能健康也比不工作的女性更高。每周工作时间与身体和社会幸福感之间存在显著的正相关关系。在 6 个月的随访中，每周至少工作 20 小时的女性的身体和功能健康状况优于不工作的女性。在 6 个月随访期间停止工作的女性，其身体和功能健康状况的评分较低。
乳腺癌诊断后继续工作可能有益于 QOL 的多个领域。应探索帮助女性在治疗期间继续工作的策略。
