Abstract 402P
Background
Cancer survivors have been reported to face challenges as they return to work after completing antineoplastic treatment. In order to understand the burden of return-to-work challenges among cancer survivors in Singapore, we aim to describe the work-related outcomes, including employment rates, absenteeism and presenteeism, among local cancer survivors.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the National Cancer Centre Singapore in 2018. Breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lymphoma survivors who were in disease remission and have completed treatment for at least 6 months were recruited. Employment history and absenteeism data in the past 6 months were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Presenteeism was self-reported using the Work Limitations Questionnaire.
Results
A total of 501 patients were recruited. Most participants were Chinese (79.6%), followed by Malay (11.8%), Indian (4.6%) and other ethnicities (4.0%). Over half were breast cancer survivors (69.5%), followed by colorectal cancer (15.5%) and lymphoma (15.0%) survivors. The median age of the participants was 55.7 years (IQR: 50.1 to 60.5 years) while the median time after primary treatment completion was 3.7 years (IQR: 1.9 to 6.1 years). The majority of cancer survivors were employed with most participants reporting working full-time (47.5%), followed by part-time workers (10.2%) and self-employed individuals (5.8%). Out of the survivors who did not have paid employment, a substantial proportion (24.3%) were unemployed due to health-related reasons. Among employed participants, 56.9% reported taking time off work due to ill health or to see a physician in the past 6 months. The median absenteeism rate reported among working survivors was 0.8% of working time (range: 0 to 73.1%) while the median presenteeism or productivity loss at work due to health-related problems was reported to be 1.2% (range: 0 to 20.3%).
Conclusions
A significant proportion of cancer survivors in Singapore require time off from work or leave employment due to health-related issues. Further studies should be conducted to identify survivors who are at high risk for return-to-work challenges and should be offered occupational rehabilitation.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
Singapore Cancer Society.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Resources from the same session
64P - Entrectinib in locally advanced/metastatic ROS1 and NTRK fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Updated integrated analysis of STARTRK-2, STARTRK-1 and ALKA-372-001
Presenter: Filippo de Braud
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
65P - Updated efficacy and safety of entrectinib in patients with NTRK fusion-positive tumours: Integrated analysis of STARTRK-2, STARTRK-1 and ALKA-372-001
Presenter: Christian Rolfo
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
66P - Brain metastases, treatment patterns and outcomes in ROS1-positive NSCLC patients from US oncology community centers
Presenter: Matthew Krebs
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
67P - Pooled safety analysis of tepotinib in Asian patients with advanced solid tumours
Presenter: Kentaro Yamazaki
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
68P - A novel anti-EGFR antibody HLX07 for potential treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
Presenter: Ming Mo Hou
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
69P - Irinotecan and cisplatin therapy-induced neutropenia as a prognostic factor in patients with extensive-disease small cell lung cancer
Presenter: Hiroshi Ishikawa
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
70P - Is safe and efficient by intraoperative endoscopic nasobiliary drainage over primary closure of the common bile duct for cholecystolithiasis combined with common bile duct stones: A meta-analysis
Presenter: Jiasheng Cao
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
71P - Irreversible electroporation versus radiotherapy after induction chemotherapy on survival in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer: A propensity score analysis
Presenter: Chaobin He
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
72P - Novel technique of near-focus mode for accurate operation during endoscopic submucosal tunneling procedure: A two-center comparative study
Presenter: Wei Peng
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract
73P - Cabozantinib in combination with anti-PD1 immune checkpoint inhibitor in syngeneic tumour mouse models
Presenter: Rachel Sparks
Session: Poster display session
Resources:
Abstract