Women Who Receive Chemotherapy More Likely to Face Unemployment

A new study uncovers a growing trend of unemployment among breast cancer survivors.

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that over one-third of breast cancer survivors who were employed before the commencement of the treatment were more likely to be unemployed four years later. Those who received chemotherapy were the most affected.

For this study, the researchers surveyed woman from Detroit and Los Angeles all of whom were diagnosed with early stage of breast cancer. 746 women participated in the study and all of them were working when they were diagnosed.  After nine months of diagnoses, the women were surveyed again and a follow-up survey was done four years later.

The researchers noticed that over 30 percent of the study participants were no longer employed during the four-year follow up survey.  Those who received chemotherapy were more likely to be unemployed four years later.

 Nearly 55 percent of the unemployed women stated it was crucial for them to work and 39 percent of them said they were actively seeking employment. Those who were unemployed were in bad financial condition.

"Many doctors believe that even though patients may miss work during treatment, they will 'bounce back' in the longer term. The results of this study suggest otherwise. Loss of employment is a possible long-term negative consequence of chemotherapy that may not have been fully appreciated to date," lead study author Reshma Jagsi, M.D., D.Phil., associate professor of radiation oncology at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a statement.

According to the researchers, most of the breast cancer victims take time off during chemotherapy in order to cope with the immediate side-effects of the therapy.  This may even trigger long-time employment problems.  Apart from this, chemotherapy treatment is known to cause severe long term side effects that include cognitive and neuropathy issues, which may affect the patient's job prospect.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women of age 50 and above. But many younger women are affected with breast cancer and 11 percent of all new cases of breast cancer in the U.S. are seen among young women.

The finding was documented in the journal Cancer.