Persons with cancer and their return to the workplace

Over 5 million persons are living today with a diagnosis of cancer. Maintaining employment after a diagnosis of cancer and even during therapy is a major challenge for an increasing number of individuals. The majority of preretirement persons with cancer who have attempted a return to the workplace have confronted a variety of issues and barriers. Social scientists and legal and health care professionals have attempted to identify particular practices and issues that have affected the return to work experiences of those with a diagnosis of cancer. There has not been a program in nursing research that has systematically tested clinical interventions which effect return-to-work outcomes in persons with cancer. Understanding the return-to-work experience is an essential prerequisite to planning clinical nursing therapeutics and assistance to persons with cancer who consider maintaining their worker role. Environmental and personal factors that influence a successful return to the workplace, plus the human responses manifested in the return experience are reviewed in this article. Clinical implications are drawn for nurses who can facilitate the return-to-work for an individual with cancer through interventions that eliminate or alter barriers to the successful return.