Sun Yuanlu, Shigaki Cheryl L, Armer Jane M
College of Nursing, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Health Psychology, Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, MO, USA.
Womens Health (Lond). 2020 Jan-Dec;16:1745506520905720. doi: 10.1177/1745506520905720.
Lymphedema is one of the major treatment complications following breast cancer surgery and radiation. As the majority of women who develop breast cancer are at the age of employment, occupational functioning and employment are issues of concern. This study is novel in exploring the ways that lymphedema affects their work experience.
A multiple-case study methodology drawn from Yin's definition was employed. A total of 13 female survivors who developed breast cancer-related lymphedema participated by completing a survey and a 60-min semi-structured interview.
Four main themes emerged: (1) breast cancer-related lymphedema affects physical and emotional functioning associated with work; (2) ongoing treatment for breast cancer-related lymphedema creates challenges for work; (3) environmental factors affect the return-to-work experience; and (4) personal factors play a key role in adjusting to return-to-work.
Both breast cancer-related lymphedema and its treatment have direct and indirect effects on work, with environmental and personal factors also shaping the work-return experience. This study suggests that breast cancer survivors with lymphedema who wish to return to work face potential barriers, and that gaps remain in the availability of supports.
淋巴水肿是乳腺癌手术和放疗后的主要治疗并发症之一。由于大多数患乳腺癌的女性处于就业年龄，职业功能和就业是备受关注的问题。本研究在探索淋巴水肿影响她们工作体验的方式方面具有创新性。
采用源自殷（Yin）定义的多案例研究方法。共有13名患乳腺癌相关淋巴水肿的女性幸存者参与，她们完成了一项调查和一次60分钟的半结构化访谈。
出现了四个主要主题：（1）乳腺癌相关淋巴水肿影响与工作相关的身体和情感功能；（2）乳腺癌相关淋巴水肿的持续治疗给工作带来挑战；（3）环境因素影响重返工作的体验；（4）个人因素在适应重返工作中起关键作用。
乳腺癌相关淋巴水肿及其治疗对工作都有直接和间接影响，环境和个人因素也塑造了重返工作的体验。本研究表明，希望重返工作的淋巴水肿乳腺癌幸存者面临潜在障碍，并且在支持的可获得性方面仍存在差距。
