[Factors influencing work continuation of cancer patients immediately after diagnosis]

In recent years, efforts made by cancer patients to balance their work schedules and treatment regimens have gained increasing attention. Such workers tend to resign when diagnosed with cancer. A particularly prominent issue is that many of these employees resign immediately after diagnosis. This study aimed to clarify factors influencing continuation of employment from the period immediately after diagnosis up to the first treatment.

Study aims were explained to 68 employees, who were 20‒64 years and had received a definitive diagnosis of cancer in the last two years. After obtaining informed consent, structured interviews were conducted.

Informed consent was obtained from 61 patients, of which 60 (98.4%) wished to continue working after diagnosis. Of these 60 patients, 15 (25.0%) had not been working (including those on leave) and 45 (75.0%) had continued employment. The latter comprised the continuation group. There were no significant differences in attributes, company type and size, nor in employment status between the two groups. Subjects in the continuation group sought significantly more consultation for the questionnaire item "Disease, treatment, and symptoms," whereas significantly less consultation was sought for the item "Concerning expenses such as medical bills and living costs." The number of those who had disclosed their illness to colleagues was significantly higher in the continuation group, while the number of those hoping for a "Probationary period for returning to work" and complaining of "Prejudice and misunderstanding of cancer patient's continuation of work" was significantly smaller in the continuation group. The number of those who had undergone surgery and who received a score of 0 to 1 (light work acceptable) on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was significantly higher in the continuation group. As for other factors that had influenced subjects' decision to continue working or not, subjects described two situational attitudes: first, "Gratitude for understanding, consideration, and encouragement of superiors and colleagues" and second, "Impossibility of thinking about work immediately after diagnosis."

Results revealed that continuation of work immediately after diagnosis was related to the stage of the patient's cancer, their general condition, and whether they had undergone surgery or not. Support from superiors and/or colleagues at the workplace was also beneficial. Medical staff should therefore provide patients with support in overcoming the crisis in which they feel the continuation of work immediately after diagnosis to be an impossibility, and to assist them in making an informed choice regarding their employment status.