Department of Radiation Oncology, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Panjagutta, Hyderabad, 5000082, Telangana, India.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Panjagutta, Hyderabad, 5000082, Telangana, India.
Cancer Treat Res Commun. 2021;26:100302. doi: 10.1016/j.ctarc.2021.100302. Epub 2021 Jan 5.
MINI: Primary Brain Tumour survivors usually have significant morbidity, especially cognitive and neurological dysfunction. Return to pre-diagnosis work can be an important QoL indicator and outcomes measure in these patients. We did a retrospective study to assess return to work amongst the patients who underwent radiotherapy at our centre.
Primary brain tumour (PBT) survivors have a high burden of morbidity. Return to work (RTW) is an important survivorship parameter and outcomes measure in these patients, especially in developing countries. This study was done to assess RTW after radiotherapy, reasons for no RTW, and relationship of RTW with treatment and patient factors.
A single centre study was done amongst PBT patients. Baseline and treatment details, education, employment was assessed. RTW assessed as: time to RTW, full/ part-time, reasons for no RTW and RTW at 6 months post-therapy, and last follow up.
67 PBT patients with a median age of 42 years were assessed. Most common diagnosis was low grade glioma. Over 66% patients were illiterate, and 62% had semi-skilled and unskilled jobs, mostly agriculture. About 64.4% patients returned to employment in a median time of 3 months. At 6 months post-treatment 58.2% had a job, with only 42% working full-time. 'Limb weakness' (21.4%), followed by 'loss of job/ no job' (16.7%), 'fatigue'/ 'tiredness' (14.3%), 'poor vision/ diminished vision' (11.9%) were the common reasons for no RTW. The factors found to be significantly associated with return to work were younger age (p = 0.042), male sex (0.013), the absence of complications during radiotherapy (p = 0.049), part time job prior to diagnosis (p = 0.047), and early return to work after RT (p < 0.001).
Studies are needed to identify the barriers in re- employment and steps to overcome them in cancer patients.
MINI：原发性脑肿瘤幸存者通常存在显著的发病率，尤其是认知和神经功能障碍。对于这些患者，重返工作岗位可以作为重要的生活质量指标和结果衡量标准。我们进行了一项回顾性研究，以评估在我们中心接受放疗的患者的工作恢复情况。
原发性脑肿瘤（PBT）幸存者的发病率较高。重返工作岗位（RTW）是这些患者生存的一个重要参数和结果衡量标准，尤其是在发展中国家。本研究旨在评估放疗后的 RTW、无法 RTW 的原因，以及 RTW 与治疗和患者因素的关系。
对 PBT 患者进行了一项单中心研究。评估了基线和治疗细节、教育和就业情况。RTW 评估为：重返工作的时间、全职/兼职、无法 RTW 的原因，以及治疗后 6 个月和最后一次随访时的 RTW。
共评估了 67 名中位年龄为 42 岁的 PBT 患者。最常见的诊断是低级别胶质瘤。超过 66%的患者是文盲，62%的患者从事半熟练和非熟练工作，主要是农业。大约 64.4%的患者在中位时间 3 个月内重新就业。治疗后 6 个月，58.2%的患者有工作，只有 42%的人全职工作。“肢体无力”（21.4%），其次是“失业/无工作”（16.7%）、“疲劳/疲倦”（14.3%）、“视力不佳/视力减退”（11.9%）是导致无法 RTW 的常见原因。与重返工作相关的显著因素是年龄较小（p=0.042）、男性（p=0.013）、放疗期间无并发症（p=0.049）、诊断前兼职（p=0.047）和放疗后早期重返工作（p<0.001）。
需要研究确定癌症患者重新就业的障碍，并确定克服这些障碍的步骤。
