Long-term effects of cancer survivorship on the employment of older workers.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the long-term effects of cancer survivorship on the employment of older workers.


METHODS
Primary data for 504 subjects who were 55-65 in 2002 and were working when diagnosed with cancer in 1997-1999, and secondary data for a comparison group of 3,903 similarly aged workers in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in 2002.


METHODS
Three employment outcomes (working, working full time, usual hours per week) were compared between the two groups. Both Probit/Tobit regressions and propensity score matching were used to adjust for potentially confounding differences between groups. Sociodemographic characteristics, baseline employment characteristics, and the presence of other health conditions were included as covariates.


METHODS
Four telephone interviews were conducted annually with cancer survivors identified from tumor registries at four large hospitals in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Many of the questions were taken from the HRS to facilitate comparisons.


RESULTS
Cancer survivors of both genders worked an average of 3-5 hours less per week than HRS controls. For females, we found significant effects of survivorship on the probability of working, the probability of working full-time, and hours. For males, survivorship affected the probability of full-time employment and hours without significantly reducing the probability of working. For both genders, these effects were primarily attributable to new cancers. There were no significant effects on the employment of cancer-free survivors.


CONCLUSIONS
Survivors with recurrences or second primary tumors may particularly benefit from employment support services and workplace accommodation. Reassuringly, any long-term effects on the employment of cancer-free survivors are fairly small.
Farley Short
Pamela
P
Department of Health Policy and Administration, The Pennsylvania State University, 116 Henderson Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Vasey
Joseph J
JJ
Moran
John R
JR
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors