BREAST CANCER AND THE RETURN TO WORK FEATURE IPAR
Australia has one of the highest rates of breast cancer across the globe, coming in at 15th place, higher than New Zealand or the US (*1). The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer is rising, with new cases more than tripling between 1982 and 2014 (*2,*3). At the same time, more women, especially those aged 55 or older—the age when breast cancer risk increases—are working (*4). On average, the median hours worked dropped by 50% during treatment compared with 12 months prior to diagnosis and remained 13% lower, 12 months after treatment (*5). Few diagnosed with breast cancer wish to leave the workforce permanently. However, there are many barriers that can impact a persons capacity to return to work following treatment: • Medical outcomes and treatment. Ongoing levels of pain, fatigue and depression, understandably all impede resumption of employment. • Workplace relations. Many employers are supportive but lack knowledge of what to do and inflexible company policies can limit the options when returning to work. • Regulatory frameworks. The rules governing return-to-work vary widely by jurisdiction and involve; constitutional rights, human-rights law, disability legislation and benefits; and long-term
sick leave rules and payments. These issues can overlap in a complex mesh, and on top of this a lack of communication between stakeholders can be the single biggest obstacle. The key to progress is often getting all stakeholders to support two principles: “work is valuable, and everybody is different”. In conjunction with IPAR, researchers are pilot testing a tailored return to ‘good work’ scheme for people with breast cancer. Funded by the National Breast Cancer Foundation, their return-to-work research is testing a three-pronged approach that assesses breast cancer patients, gives them health coaching and educates workplace representatives. A trained Occupational Rehabilitation Consultant will liaise with the patient, employer, and health providers to monitor progress and enable individual to succeed in the workplace. In summary, research is taking place to address some of these gaps. Working with cancer has been recognised as a gap in the continuum of cancer care, and what is even more exciting is that Australia seems to be one of the nations leading the way in this field (*6).
*1. Cancer Today database, IARC, accessed October 6th 2018.
*2. Breast Cancer in Australia: an overview, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, October 2012.
*3. Breast cancer in Australia database, Cancer Australia, accessed October 16th 2018.
*4. Gender Indicators, Australian Bureau of Statistics, January 2012.
*5. Financial impacts of breast cancer in Australia, Deloitte, November 2016.
*6. Breast cancer patients and survivors in the Asia-Pacific workforce, The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2018
The above is a brief overview of “Breast Cancer Patients and Survivors in the Asia-Pacific Workforce” (2018). Full article available upon request, contact bsteicke@ ipar.com.au for more information
June 2019 www.tha.asn.au
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