The Impact of Prostate Cancer Treatment on Work Participation: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Occupational Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Prostate cancer is a leading cancer in men.
• Understanding the impact of prostate cancer treatment on work participation is crucial for patient support and survivorship care.
• Current evidence on work outcomes following prostate cancer treatment is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review quantitative evidence on work participation after prostate cancer treatment.
• To compare work outcomes across different treatment modalities.
• To identify factors associated with work participation and existing evidence gaps.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Google Scholar) for English-language, peer-reviewed articles.
• Included 28 articles (24 studies) involving 39,966 men, primarily cohort and cross-sectional designs.
• Assessed risk of bias using Joanna Briggs Institute tools and certainty of evidence using GRADE.

Main Results:

• Median time to return to work (RTW) ranged from 14 to 56 days.
• Low risk of bias studies indicated faster RTW (HR 2.13) and less long-term absenteeism (OR 0.53) after robot-assisted compared to open radical prostatectomy.
• Absenteeism varied ( <14 to >50 days) and was longer with advanced disease and physically demanding work.

Conclusions:

• Evidence suggests work participation varies by treatment and disease severity, but is limited by heterogeneity and methodological issues.
• Standardized, validated measures and robust confounder adjustment are needed.
• Findings highlight the need for better information to guide treatment decisions, survivorship care, and workplace support.