Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 331 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
Support Care Cancer. 2022 Dec;30(12):10301-10310. doi: 10.1007/s00520-022-07449-w. Epub 2022 Nov 10.
Ability to return to work (RTW) is an important aspect of breast cancer that is limited for many survivors. With 90% survivorship in the USA, it is imperative that focus shifts toward the improvement of physical arm function to improve survivors' ability to RTW. This narrative review discusses the role of physical arm function and demographic disparities in breast cancer survivor RTW.
Literature on physical function, arm function, and demographic disparities following breast cancer treatment and their implications for RTW is discussed.
The ability to RTW is a key component of recovery for breast cancer survivors, but challenges and inequalities persist. Treatment effects can induce and prolong functional disability, affecting survivors' ability to RTW. These effects may be compounded for survivors whose occupation requires physical arm function. The RTW landscape, including the occupations survivors have, the physical function required for job tasks, and availability of workplace accommodations, is also unclear. Additional demographic disparities (e.g., income, live in rural area) exist, but the extent to which these factors influence RTW is not well understood. More work is needed to understand the compounded impact of treatment effects, demographic disparities, and occupational factors on RTW. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation that includes occupational counseling and exercise is a promising approach, but widespread adoption in the US healthcare model presents an ongoing challenge. Areas for further research are highlighted.
There is an incomplete understanding of the effects of treatment on physical arm function and the role of demographic disparities on breast cancer survivor RTW.
重返工作岗位（RTW）是乳腺癌的一个重要方面，但许多幸存者都受到限制。在美国，90%的患者存活，因此必须将重点转移到改善身体手臂功能上，以提高幸存者 RTW 的能力。本叙述性评论讨论了身体手臂功能和乳腺癌幸存者 RTW 中的人口统计学差异的作用。
讨论了与乳腺癌治疗后身体功能、手臂功能和人口统计学差异及其对 RTW 的影响相关的文献。
RTW 是乳腺癌幸存者康复的关键组成部分，但挑战和不平等仍然存在。治疗效果会引起和延长功能障碍，影响幸存者 RTW 的能力。对于那些职业需要手臂功能的幸存者来说，这些影响可能更为严重。RTW 的情况，包括幸存者从事的职业、工作任务所需的身体功能以及工作场所适应的可用性，也不清楚。还存在其他人口统计学差异（例如，收入、居住在农村地区），但这些因素对 RTW 的影响程度尚不清楚。需要做更多的工作来了解治疗效果、人口统计学差异和职业因素对 RTW 的综合影响。包括职业咨询和锻炼在内的多学科康复是一种很有前途的方法，但在美国医疗保健模式中广泛采用仍面临挑战。强调了进一步研究的领域。
对治疗对身体手臂功能的影响以及人口统计学差异对乳腺癌幸存者 RTW 的作用的理解还不完整。
