Return to work in head and neck cancer survivors: an exploratory multimethod study at a cancer centre in Santiago, Chile

Abstract

Objective: Head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors may suffer from functional and psychosocial impairment, and thus, return to work (RTW) often poses challenges. A paucity of evidence on this subject exists in Chile and the region. The aim of this paper is to describe and characterize the RTW of HNC survivors treated at a cancer centre in Santiago.

Methods: This study employed an exploratory, cross-sectional design, with a multimethod, quantitative approach. Surgically treated patients with HNC between 2016 and 2022 were invited to participate. Clinical and sociodemographic data were statistically analysed to establish associations with RTW. Participants were surveyed about their process of RTW and income variation.

Results: Of the 120 patients identified, 53 agreed to participate. Twenty-nine patients (55%) were men with a median age of 56 years. The most frequent location of the cancer was the oral cavity (62%), and 85% of them had locally advanced tumours. Thirty-seven patients (70%) were working at diagnosis, of which 25 (68%) were men. Twenty-nine (78%) survivors returned to work after treatment. Being a woman was significantly associated with a lower chance of RTW (p = 0.046). No association was found between disease status, tumour location or treatment received and RTW. Of those who resumed working, a third had less income. Job accommodations were made on a case-by-case basis. A third of the survivors decreased their workload.

Conclusion: Being a woman was associated with less RTW. Future interventions should provide support in reintegration into the workplace. This study constitutes the first published data on RTW in Chilean patients.

Keywords: cancer survivors; employment; head and neck neoplasms; return to work.

Figure 1.. Changes in RTW in HNC survivors.