Factors affecting return to work in breast cancer survivors in Korea: a cross-sectional study

Purpose: Return to work (RTW) has been understudied in Asian women with cancer, despite the increasing number of breast cancer survivors (BCS). This study examined RTW among Korean BCS, exploring its associations with cancer-related fatigue, quality of sleep, mental adjustment, and psychosocial factors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited BCS from a hospital, a breast cancer support group, and an online community in Korea between July and August 2019. We collected data on levels of fatigue, fatigability, quality of sleep, mental adjustment, and quality of working life. The analysis included data from 135 respondents who were employed prior to their cancer diagnosis. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted.

Results: Although all participants were employed prior to diagnosis, only 57% remained employed afterward. Participants who returned to work reported significant levels of subjective fatigue (102.48±39.84), physical fatigability (28.14±11.34), borderline poor sleep quality (8.57±4.11), anxious preoccupation (23.33±4.54), and low satisfaction with quality of working life (39.68±21.51). Marital status (odds ratio [OR], 3.34; p=.027), time since breast cancer diagnosis (OR, 2.85; p=.028), anxious preoccupation (OR, 0.89; p=.021), and quality of working life (OR, 1.04; p=.010) were found to be predictors of RTW, explaining 34% of the variance.

Conclusion: It is critical to address RTW-related difficulties in Korean BCS, and future RTW interventions should target cancer-related fatigue, anxious preoccupation, and quality of working life. Physical and psychosocial support is essential for BCS and their successful RTW.