title: Socio-economic implications of cancer survivorship: results from the PROFILES registry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The goal of this large population-based study was to examine the socio-economic implications of cancer survivorship.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals alive and diagnosed with colorectal cancer and melanoma between 1998 and 2007 or Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma or multiple myeloma between 1999 and 2008 as registered in the Eindhoven Cancer Registry received a questionnaire on work changes and problems with obtaining a new (or extended) health care insurance, life insurance or a home loan; 70% (n = 2892) responded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results showed that 28% of all cancer patients experienced changes in their work situation after cancer. Most of them switched to part-time work or stopped working entirely. Patients (3.4%) who tried to obtain a different or upgrade their health care insurance experienced problems and in most cases, these were eventually resolved. Problems with life insurance were somewhat more common with 18% of those who tried to obtain a life insurance experiencing problems. The majority of these patients was rejected by the insurance company (61%) or was accepted at a higher premium (22%). Of the 21% who tried to obtain a home loan, 9% experienced problems. However, 22.2% got accepted eventually, 27.8% got accepted but at a higher mortgage payment and 22.2% got rejected but were eventually accepted by another bank.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Almost a third of cancer survivors experienced changes in their work situation after cancer. Problems with obtaining health insurance, life insurance and home loans were also common.
authors.affiliation: CoRPS--Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases, Department of Medical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. F.Mols@uvt.nl
authors.forename: Floortje
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mols
authors.forename: Melissa S Y
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Thong
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vissers
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nijsten
authors.forename: Lonneke V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: van de Poll-Franse
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004467:Economics; D004651:Employment / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics; D007352:Insurance, Life / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*