Pw. Bushunow et al., ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY DOES NOT AFFECT EMPLOYMENT IN PATIENTS WITH EARLY-STAGE BREAST-CANCER, Journal of general internal medicine, 10(2), 1995, pp. 73-76
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy for the DESIG
N: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: University-affiliated communit
y hospital cancer center. PATIENTS: Patients who were 18 to 65 years o
ld and were diagnosed as having breast cancer stages 0, I, II, and III
a between January 1986 and January 1991 were contacted and asked wheth
er they had been employed at the time of the diagnosis. The 145 patien
ts who had breast cancer and who had been working at the time of diagn
osis completed a questionnaire, which included questions regarding dem
ographic characteristics, employment history, and the reasons for any
period of unemployment. The 76 patients who had received adjuvant chem
otherapy were compared with the 69 who had not. MEASUREMENTS AND RESUL
TS: The main endpoint was return to work by one, three, six, and 12 mo
nths after surgery. Of the 76 patients who had received chemotherapy,
70 (92%) had resumed work by 12 months after treatment began. Of the 6
9 who had not been treated with chemotherapy, 65 (94%) had resumed wor
k in 12 months. The proportions of patients who had returned to work b
y one, three, and six months were similar in the two groups. Regressio
n analyses demonstrated no significant confounding or interaction of a
djuvant treatment with age, menopausal status, marital status, years o
f education, or type of job in regard to return to work. CONCLUSIONS:
Adjuvant chemotherapy does not delay or prevent return to work in wome
n treated for early-stage breast cancer.