title: Return to work and quality of life after therapy and rehabilitation in oral cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Return to work (REW) after cancer treatment is important for both patients and their families and for society in general. For patients it can be a sign of complete recovery and return to normal life.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 755 out of 1,652 patients from 38 hospitals within the German-language area (DÖSAK REHA STUDY) were working at the time their cancer was diagnosed. QoL was determined after therapy and ranges from 0 to 100%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 51% were blue-collar workers (BCWs) and 49% white-collar workers (WCWs). The WCWs resumed work significantly sooner. There were no differences in the medical parameters. For 19 impairments, there were considerably more severe impairments reported in the self-administered questionnaires for BCWs. The groups did not differ with regard to depressive moods. Patient behaviour changed in several dimensions as a result of the treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WCWs managed to return more frequently and faster to work than BCWs. It is important that the rehabilitative measures be coordinated.
authors.affiliation: Deptartment of Cranio- and Maxillofacial Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstrasse 5, Düsseldorf, Germany. handschel@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Handschel
authors.forename: Nils-Claudius
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Gellrich
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bremerich
authors.forename: Gertrud
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Krüskemper
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D006801:Humans; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062707:Return to Work; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires