Factors Associated With Employment and Quality of Working Life in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer

IF 3.1 2区医学 Q2 ONCOLOGY

Cancer Medicine Pub Date : 2025-07-27 DOI:10.1002/cam4.71074

Alina Kias, Martina E. Schmidt, Anouk E. Hiensch, Dorothea Clauss, Evelyn M. Monninkhof, Mireia Pelaez, Jon Belloso, Nadira Gunasekara, Maike G. Sweegers, Mark Trevaskis, Helene Rundqvist, Jana Müller, Joachim Wiskemann, Elsken van der Wall, Neil K. Aaronson, Milena Lachowicz, Ander Urruticoechea, Eva M. Zopf, Wilhelm Bloch, Martijn M. Stuiver, Yvonne Wengström, Anne M. May, Karen Steindorf

{"title":"Factors Associated With Employment and Quality of Working Life in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer","authors":"Alina Kias, Martina E. Schmidt, Anouk E. Hiensch, Dorothea Clauss, Evelyn M. Monninkhof, Mireia Pelaez, Jon Belloso, Nadira Gunasekara, Maike G. Sweegers, Mark Trevaskis, Helene Rundqvist, Jana Müller, Joachim Wiskemann, Elsken van der Wall, Neil K. Aaronson, Milena Lachowicz, Ander Urruticoechea, Eva M. Zopf, Wilhelm Bloch, Martijn M. Stuiver, Yvonne Wengström, Anne M. May, Karen Steindorf","doi":"10.1002/cam4.71074","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Purpose</h3>\n \n <p>As survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) improves, their work situation is gaining importance. The aim of the current study was to identify factors associated with work status and quality of working life (QWL) in patients with MBC. Additionally, we investigated the effects of an exercise intervention on work status.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>Within the multinational PREFERABLE-EFFECT exercise trial, 287 patients with MBC of working age (18–65 years) reported on their working situation over 9 months as a secondary endpoint. Among a subgroup of participants, QWL was assessed by the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ-CS) (<i>N</i> = 59).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>At baseline, 157 (54.7%) participants were employed, of whom one-third reported having recently reduced their amount of work because of fatigue (41.7%), cognitive problems (33.3%), or inability to meet work demands (33.3%). Participants wished for more flexible working hours (29.2%) and less productivity pressure (37.5%). Participants were less likely to work if they experienced higher levels of pain (<i>p</i> = 0.014). Among working participants, an academic education and higher levels of psychological distress were associated with a higher number of working hours (all <i>p</i> < 0.05). Fatigue, an academic education, and performing mentally strenuous tasks at work were negatively associated with QWL (all <i>p</i> < 0.05). The exercise intervention did not affect the number of hours worked during the study.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>Symptom management might be important for patients' ability to work. To help patients stay employed and improve QWL, employers should consider offering more flexible work arrangements and adapting to their employees' changing needs and abilities.</p>\n \n <p><b>Trial Registration:</b> The PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on October 9, 2019 (NCT04120298).</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":139,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Medicine","volume":"14 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cam4.71074","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cancer Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cam4.71074","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ONCOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose

As survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) improves, their work situation is gaining importance. The aim of the current study was to identify factors associated with work status and quality of working life (QWL) in patients with MBC. Additionally, we investigated the effects of an exercise intervention on work status.

Methods

Within the multinational PREFERABLE-EFFECT exercise trial, 287 patients with MBC of working age (18–65 years) reported on their working situation over 9 months as a secondary endpoint. Among a subgroup of participants, QWL was assessed by the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ-CS) (N = 59).

Results

At baseline, 157 (54.7%) participants were employed, of whom one-third reported having recently reduced their amount of work because of fatigue (41.7%), cognitive problems (33.3%), or inability to meet work demands (33.3%). Participants wished for more flexible working hours (29.2%) and less productivity pressure (37.5%). Participants were less likely to work if they experienced higher levels of pain (p = 0.014). Among working participants, an academic education and higher levels of psychological distress were associated with a higher number of working hours (all p < 0.05). Fatigue, an academic education, and performing mentally strenuous tasks at work were negatively associated with QWL (all p < 0.05). The exercise intervention did not affect the number of hours worked during the study.

Conclusions

Symptom management might be important for patients' ability to work. To help patients stay employed and improve QWL, employers should consider offering more flexible work arrangements and adapting to their employees' changing needs and abilities.

Trial Registration: The PREFERABLE-EFFECT trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on October 9, 2019 (NCT04120298).

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

转移性乳腺癌患者就业和工作生活质量的相关因素

目的随着转移性乳腺癌（MBC）患者生存率的提高，她们的工作状况越来越受到重视。本研究的目的是确定与MBC患者工作状态和工作生活质量相关的因素。此外，我们调查了运动干预对工作状态的影响。方法在多国开展的preferred - effect运动试验中，287名工作年龄（18-65岁）的MBC患者报告了他们9个月以上的工作情况作为次要终点。在一个亚组参与者中，通过癌症幸存者工作生活质量问卷（QWLQ-CS）评估QWL （N = 59）。结果在基线时，157名（54.7%）参与者被雇用，其中三分之一的人报告最近因为疲劳（41.7%），认知问题（33.3%）或无法满足工作需求（33.3%）而减少了工作量。受访者希望工作时间更灵活（29.2%），工作压力更小（37.5%）。如果参与者经历了更高程度的疼痛，他们就不太可能工作（p = 0.014）。在工作参与者中，学历和较高的心理困扰水平与较高的工作时间相关（p < 0.05）。疲劳、学历教育和在工作中执行脑力繁重的任务与QWL呈负相关（均p <； 0.05）。运动干预对研究期间的工作时间没有影响。结论症状管理对提高患者的工作能力具有重要意义。雇主应考虑提供更灵活的工作安排，以配合雇员不断变化的需要和能力，以协助病人继续就业及改善质素。试验注册：PREFERABLE-EFFECT试验已于2019年10月9日在ClinicalTrials.gov注册（NCT04120298）。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Cancer Medicine ONCOLOGY-

CiteScore

5.50

自引率

2.50%

发文量

907

审稿时长

19 weeks

期刊介绍： Cancer Medicine is a peer-reviewed, open access, interdisciplinary journal providing rapid publication of research from global biomedical researchers across the cancer sciences. The journal will consider submissions from all oncologic specialties, including, but not limited to, the following areas: Clinical Cancer Research Translational research ∙ clinical trials ∙ chemotherapy ∙ radiation therapy ∙ surgical therapy ∙ clinical observations ∙ clinical guidelines ∙ genetic consultation ∙ ethical considerations Cancer Biology: Molecular biology ∙ cellular biology ∙ molecular genetics ∙ genomics ∙ immunology ∙ epigenetics ∙ metabolic studies ∙ proteomics ∙ cytopathology ∙ carcinogenesis ∙ drug discovery and delivery. Cancer Prevention: Behavioral science ∙ psychosocial studies ∙ screening ∙ nutrition ∙ epidemiology and prevention ∙ community outreach. Bioinformatics: Gene expressions profiles ∙ gene regulation networks ∙ genome bioinformatics ∙ pathwayanalysis ∙ prognostic biomarkers. Cancer Medicine publishes original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and research methods papers, along with invited editorials and commentaries. Original research papers must report well-conducted research with conclusions supported by the data presented in the paper.