Unemployment following breast cancer diagnosis: A population-based study

The population of breast cancer survivors is growing. In Western societies, many of these women are working age, and therefore, potentially desire to return to the work force. We aimed to evaluate the unemployment risk for up to 8 years following a breast cancer diagnosis and identify contributing socio-economic factors.

This historical prospective study included baseline measurements from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics 1995 National Census, with follow-up to 2011. We retrieved data on employment from the Israeli Tax Authority database and cancer status from the National Cancer Registry. A control group without cancer was selected to match the patients. Analyses were controlled for socio-economic factors and the baseline employment status 2 years prior to diagnosis.

We retrieved data for 2341 patients with breast cancer and 6837 age-matched women without cancer. We found an elevated risk of unemployment during the 8 years after breast cancer diagnosis (2-year OR 1.82, 95%CI: 1.59-2.075; 8-year OR 1.26, 95%CI: 1.07-1.47). Age and all examined socio-economic variables were correlated to increased risk of unemployment. The strongest predictor was pre-diagnosis unemployment (2-year OR 18.95, 95%CI: 16.68-21.52; 8-year OR 4.92, 95%CI: 4.07-5.96). Surprisingly, patients with axillary involvement were associated with less risk of unemployment than other patients.

Breast cancer survivorship was associated with long-term risk of unemployment. Older patients and patients with lower socio-economic status were at increased risk of unemployment.