Work problems after breast cancer: An exploratory qualitative study

People treated for cancer have reported a variety of problems at work. Howe ver, there is little data on work experience after breast cancer, particula rly for women treated in recent years. This exploratory qualitative study w as conducted among 13 breast cancer survivors who had paid employment at di agnosis, returned to work afterwards, and mentioned work-related problems t o a clinic nurse or physician. Unstructured, thematic interviews were under taken. Qualitative thematic content analysis was conducted to identify and group themes which emerged from participants' discourse. Women in various t ypes of jobs reported experiencing job loss, demotion, unwanted changes in tasks, problems with the employer and co-workers, personal changes in attit udes to work and diminished physical capacity. These work problems also pre occupied people treated for cancer more than two decades ago. New areas of concern also emerged: possible positive and negative effects of learning (i mplicitly or explicitly) about the diagnosis while at work and lack of disc ussion with health professionals about work and return-to-work issues, sugg esting that health professionals' behaviour may influence women's work expe rience right from diagnosis. The identification of these new problems and c onfirmation of previously reported ones underlines the pertinence of determ ining how important and widespread these problems are in women now being tr eated for breast cancer. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.