Current Oncology (Oct 2021)

The Challenge of Return to Work after Breast Cancer: The Role of Family Situation, CANTO Cohort

  • Elsa Caumette,
  • Inès Vaz-Luis,
  • Sandrine Pinto,
  • Julie Havas,
  • Thomas Bovagnet,
  • Garazi Ruiz de Azua,
  • Antonio Di Meglio,
  • Anne-Laure Martin,
  • Sibille Everhard,
  • Paul Cottu,
  • Laurence Vanlemmens,
  • Christelle Jouannaud,
  • Florence Lerebours,
  • Agnès Dumas,
  • Gwenn Menvielle

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol28050330
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 28, no. 5
pp. 3866 – 3875

Abstract

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Return to work (RTW) after breast cancer is associated with improved quality of life. The link between household characteristics and RTW remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the family situation on women’s RTW two years after breast cancer. We used data of a French prospective cohort of women diagnosed with stage I-III, primary breast cancer (CANTO, NCT01993498). Among women employed at diagnosis and under 57 years old, we assessed the association between household characteristics (living with a partner, marital status, number and age of economically dependent children, support by the partner) and RTW. Logistic regression models were adjusted for age, household income, stage, comorbidities, treatments and their side effects. Analyzes stratified by age and household income were performed to assess the association between household characteristics and RTW in specific subgroups. Among the 3004 patients included, women living with a partner returned less to work (OR = 0.63 [0.47–0.86]) and decreased their working time after RTW. Among the 2305 women living with a partner, being married was associated with decreased RTW among women aged over 50 (OR = 0.57 [0.34–0.95]). Having three or more children (vs. none) was associated with lower RTW among women with low household income (OR = 0.28 [0.10–0.80]). Household characteristics should be considered in addition to clinical information to identify vulnerable women, reduce the social consequence of cancer and improve their quality of life.

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