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. 2025 Aug;79(4):243-251.
doi: 10.18926/AMO/69149.

The Work Productivity of Cancer-survivor and Non-cancer-survivor Workers

Mika Kamano  1 , Kanae Kanda  1 , Nlandu Roger Ngatu  1 , Akitsu Murakami  2   3 , Yusuke Yamadori  3 , Tomohiro Hirao  1
Affiliations
Free article

The Work Productivity of Cancer-survivor and Non-cancer-survivor Workers

Mika Kamano et al. Acta Med Okayama. 2025 Aug.
Free article

Abstract

We investigated the work productivity levels of employed cancer survivors and non-cancer-survivor workers by conducting a cross-sectional study in Japan between February and March 2019, using an online survey. A total of 561 employed individuals aged 20-64 years were analyzed. Work productivity was assessed using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-General Health questionnaire which evaluates absenteeism, presenteeism, and overall work productivity loss. The questionnaire responses demonstrated that the cancer survivors within 1 year of diagnosis had significantly higher absenteeism compared to the non-cancer workers (p=0.048). Although presenteeism and overall work productivity loss were also higher in the non-cancer-survivor group, the differences were not significant. Cancer survivors within 1 year of diagnosis exhibited higher absenteeism, but their work productivity appeared to recover to levels comparable to those of the non-cancer workers over time. These findings may contribute to workplace policies supporting cancer survivors' return to work.

Keywords: absenteeism; cancer survivor; presenteeism; work productivity.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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