Change in employment status of 5-year cancer survivors.
OBJECTIVE
To follow the employment status of 5-year cancer survivors for 5 years after diagnosis with their first lifetime invasive cancer and to identify socio-demographic, work-related and cancer-related predictors of employment status after 5 years.


METHODS
This prospective registry study concerned all 3278 people in Norway (18-61 years old) diagnosed with their first lifetime invasive cancer in 1999 and alive in 2004 and a cancer-free control group (n = 6368) matched by sex, age, educational level and employment status in 1998.


RESULTS
The employment rate among male cancer survivors declined steadily every year, from 94% the year before diagnosis (1998) to 77% 5 years after diagnosis (2004). This change did not differ significantly from that of male controls. The employment rate of female survivors also declined steadily, from 87% (1998) to 69% (2004). This decline was greater than that among female controls, and in 2004 survivors had a significantly lower employment rate. For both men and women, the significant pre-diagnosis predictors of being employed in 2004 concerned higher socio-economic position. For both sexes, lung cancer survivors had the highest decline in employment rate, and male skin cancer survivors had a lower decline in employment rate than controls. Socio-demographic and work-related factors explained more of the variance in employment status than did cancer diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The employment rate among 5-year cancer survivors did not change significantly except for female survivors. Low socio-economic position is a risk factor for decline in employment rate and should be focused on to prevent cancer-related inequity.
Department of Health Promotion, Vestfold University College, Norway. steffen.torp@hive.no
Steffen
S
Torp
Roy A
RA
Nielsen
Sophie D
SD
Fosså
Saevar B
SB
Gudbergsson
Alv A
AA
Dahl
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult