Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 May 17:5:657.
doi: 10.1186/s40064-016-2300-8. eCollection 2016.

Worse and worse off: the impact of lymphedema on work and career after breast cancer

John Boyages  1 , Senia Kalfa  2 , Ying Xu  2 , Louise Koelmeyer  1 , Helen Mackie  3 , Hector Viveros  2 , Lucy Taksa  2 , Paul Gollan  4
Affiliations

Worse and worse off: the impact of lymphedema on work and career after breast cancer

John Boyages et al. Springerplus. .

Abstract

Purpose: Our study examines the impact of breast cancer-related lymphedema on women's work and career. Our research addresses a significant knowledge gap regarding the additional impact of lymphedema on breast cancer survivors.

Methods: An online national survey was conducted with 361 women who either had breast cancer without lymphedema (Group 1, n = 209) or breast cancer with lymphedema (Group 2, n = 152). Participant recruitment was supported by the Breast Cancer Network Australia and the Australasian Lymphology Association.

Results: Both breast cancer and lymphedema had a significant negative influence on women's work and career. Respondents reported changes in employment resulting from stress and/or physical impairment, which affected attendance and work performance. The perceived negative impact of breast cancer on respondents' work and career was noticeably greater in Group 2 (63 %) than Group 1 (51 %) (p = 0.03). Of the participants who were in paid employment at some time (either at diagnosis of lymphedema or at the time of the survey (n = 103), 43 (42 %) indicated that lymphedema impacted their work performance. The impact of lymphedema on work was incremental with increased severity of lymphedema (range 22-75 %). The annual number of days off work for subclinical/mild lymphedema participants was 1.4 versus 8.1 days for moderate or severe participants (p = 0.003).

Conclusions: This study identifies an additional detrimental effect of lymphedema on women's work and career over and above the initial impact of breast cancer and provides empirical evidence for future prospective studies and policy improvement.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The relationship between breast cancer, lymphedema and lymphedema severity on their impact on the ability to work. Numbers in parentheses represent the total number of participants who were in paid employment within the various subgroups
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Reasons why employed participants with lymphoedema were affected at work. Percentages with parentheses are of the 103 total and without parentheses are of the 43 participants whose diagnosis of lymphedema affected them at work
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alcorso J, Sherman KA, Koelmeyer L, Mackie H, Boyages J. Psychosocial factors associated with adherence for self-management behaviors in women with breast cancer-related lymphedema. Support Care Cancer. 2016;24(1):139–146. doi: 10.1007/s00520-015-2766-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Armer JM, Hulett JM, Bernas M, Ostby P, Stewart BR, Cormier JN. Best practice guidelines in assessment, risk reduction, management, and surveillance for post-breast cancer lymphedema. Curr Breast Cancer Rep. 2013;5(2):134–144. doi: 10.1007/s12609-013-0105-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aronsson G, Gustafsson K, Dallner M. Sick but yet at work. An empirical study of sickness presenteeism. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2000;54(7):502–509. doi: 10.1136/jech.54.7.502. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bar Ad V, Cheville A, Solin LJ, Dutta P, Both S, Harris EE. Time course of mild arm lymphedema after breast conservation treatment for early-stage breast cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2010;76(1):85–90. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.01.024. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bar Ad V, Dutta PR, Solin LJ, Hwang WT, Tan KS, Both S, Cheville A, Harris EE. Time-course of arm lymphedema and potential risk factors for progression of lymphedema after breast conservation treatment for early stage breast cancer. Breast J. 2012;18(3):219–225. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4741.2012.01229.x. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources