Factors influencing changes in employment among women with newly diagnosed breast cancer

Although studies have demonstrated that women are less likely to work after they are diagnosed with breast cancer, the influence of cancer treatments on employment is less clear. The authors of this report assessed whether chemotherapy or radiation therapy was associated with a disruption in employment during the year after a breast cancer diagnosis.

Using a database of health insurance claims that covered 5.6 million US residents, 3,233 women aged

Although most women (93%) continued to work, chemotherapy recipients were more likely than nonrecipients to go on long-term disability, stop working, or retire (hazards ratio, 1.8; P < .01). Women aged >or=54 years were more likely to experience a change in employment than women aged

In this population of employed, insured women, chemotherapy had a negative impact on employment. This finding may aid treatment decision making and could foster the development of interventions that support a patient's ability to continue working after treatment. It also reinforces the need to assess the impact of treatments, especially new treatments, on patient-centered outcomes such as employment.