Employment and the common cancers: overview

Work-related cancers have been subject to extensive study in the occupational health literature. However, the majority of workers in the UK who develop a cancer and are seen by an occupational physician (OP) in clinical practice are likely to have non-work-related disease, which have been subject to significantly less scrutiny in relation to the impact of the diagnosis on work. This paper seeks to establish that appropriate occupational health management and support for workers with 'common' cancers do present some relatively specific challenges to OPs and employers in achieving the most appropriate employment outcome for employees developing these conditions; that an evidence base for the prognosis for return to work and work ability is available with which practising OPs should be familiar and that occupational medicine practice in the UK, by means of improved specialist and continuous professional training, can be further developed to help improve the work experience of cancer survivors.