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Updated: May 31, 2026

Laparoscopic Radical Gastrectomy for Remnant Gastric Cancer
Published on: October 31, 2025
Breast cancer treatment and work disability: patient perspectives
Corine Tiedtke1, Bernadette Dierckx de Casterlé, Angelique de Rijk
1Department of Occupational, Environmental and Insurance Medicine, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35/5, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. corine.tiedtke@med.kuleuven.be
Purpose:
Most female breast cancer patients are forced to interrupt their professional activities during treatment. Qualitative research was carried out to assess women's experiences of being work disabled because of breast cancer.
Patients And Methods:
In-depth interviews were analyzed to understand patient's experiences and to gain more insight in their perspectives on living with breast cancer.
Results:
We identified a 'three-experience model': (1) disruption, with the feeling of irreparable loss, despair and no hope for the future; (2) episode, an unpleasant and inconvenient period, after which life continues as before; and/or (3) meaningful period, during which new life priorities' are set.
Conclusion:
The different experiences will require different types of support, especially concerning communication around disability and returning to work. Our findings highlight the need of an individual approach of the management of work disability for breast cancer patients.
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