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
. 2022 Sep 7;19(18):11214.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph191811214.

"The Last Thing You Have to Worry About": A Thematic Analysis of Employment Challenges Faced by Cancer Survivors

Kathleen Doyle Lyons  1 , Rachel C Forcino  2 , Sivan Rotenberg  3 , Jenna E Schiffelbein  4 , Kali J Morrissette  3 , Cassandra M Godzik  3 , Jonathan D Lichtenstein  2   3
Affiliations

"The Last Thing You Have to Worry About": A Thematic Analysis of Employment Challenges Faced by Cancer Survivors

Kathleen Doyle Lyons et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The evidence base for interventions that support the employment goals of cancer survivors is growing but inconclusive. As the first step in initiating a community-engaged program of research aimed at developing and testing interventions to support the employment goals of cancer survivors, 23 cancer survivors, 17 healthcare providers, and 5 employers participated in individual interviews to elicit perceptions regarding local challenges and resources related to work maintenance and optimization within the context of cancer treatment. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify cross-cutting experiences that were voiced by all three types of participants. Three themes were found in the data: (1) the onus for identifying and articulating work-related issues is upon the cancer survivor; (2) the main support offered to cancer survivors involved time away from work and flexibility with scheduling work and treatment activities; and (3) participants voiced a lack of information regarding one or more aspects related to supporting employment goals of cancer survivors. Supportive resources designed for cancer survivors, employers, and/or healthcare providers are needed to help cancer survivors optimize their employment situations.

Keywords: cancer survivor; employment; workplace.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

References

    1. Cancer Support Community . Patient Insights: 2020 Cancer Experience Registry Report. Cancer Support Community; Washington, DC, USA: 2020.
    1. Keisler-Starkey K., Bunch L.N. U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Reports. U.S. Census Bureau; Washington, DC, USA: 2021. Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2020; pp. 60–274.
    1. Zafar S.Y., Peppercorn J.M., Schrag D., Taylor D.H., Goetzinger A.M., Zhong X., Abernethy A.P. The financial toxicity of cancer treatment: A pilot study assessing out-of-pocket expenses and the insured cancer patient’s experience. Oncologist. 2013;18:381–390. doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2012-0279. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bestvina C.M., Zullig L.L., Yousuf Zafar S. The implications of out-of-pocket cost of cancer treatment in the USA: A critical appraisal of the literature. Future Oncol. 2014;10:2189–2199. doi: 10.2217/fon.14.130. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hewitt M., Greenfield S., Stovall E. From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition. The National Academies Press; Washington, DC, USA: 2006.

Publication types