The associations between late effects of cancer treatment, work ability and job resources: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective The aim of this review is to evaluate associations between possible late effects of cancer treatment (i.e. physical complaints, fatigue, or cognitive complaints) and work ability among workers beyond 2 years after cancer diagnosis who returned to work. The role of job resources (social support, autonomy, leadership style, coaching, and organizational culture) is also evaluated. Methods The search for studies was conducted in PsycINFO, Medline, Business Source Premier, ABI/Inform, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. A quality assessment was used to clarify the quality across studies. Results The searches included 2303 records. Finally, 36 studies were included. Work ability seemed to decline shortly after cancer treatment and recover in the first 2 years after diagnosis, although it might still be lower than among healthy workers. No data were available on the course of work ability beyond the first 2 years. Late physical complaints, fatigue and cognitive complaints were negatively related with work ability across all relevant studies. Furthermore, social support and autonomy were associated with higher work ability, but no data were available on a possible buffering effect of these job resources on the relationship between late effects and work ability. As far as reported, most research was carried out among salaried workers. Conclusion It is unknown if late effects of cancer treatment diminish work ability beyond two years after being diagnosed with cancer. Therefore, more longitudinal research into the associations between possible late effects of cancer treatment and work ability needs to be carried out. Moreover, research is needed on the buffering effect of job resources, both for salaried and self-employed workers.

Work ability and cognitive impairments in young adult cancer patients: associated factors and changes over time—results from the AYA-Leipzig study

“…The presence of CRCI turned out to be the strongest predictor of long-term reduced WA in the AYAs. This result is consistent with the findings of quantitative studies on older adults [ 35 ] and qualitative studies on AYAs [ 9 ]. Therefore, screening the cognitive functional levels of AYAs in the context of aftercare is imperative, as concentration problems and memory and attention disorders can restrict WA for months, if not years, after treatment [ 35 ].…”

“…All variables (except having children) were selected for inclusion in the regression model as these factors were known to affect work ability in young adults and older cancer populations [9,12,13,[34][35][36][37]. Having children was included due to its relevance to the AYAs' age range.…”

Late Effects of Cancer Treatment, Job Resources, and Burnout Complaints Among Employees With a Breast Cancer Diagnosis 2–10 Years Ago: A Longitudinal Study

“…Various job resources that are important for the work ability of workers who experience late effects after cancer treatments have emerged in qualitative studies (Boelhouwer et al, 2021a), as well as in cross-sectional quantitative studies focusing on work ability (Boelhouwer et al, 2021b). However, no results with a focus on the impact of job resources on burnout complaints among the working population beyond cancer diagnosis are known to the authors.…”

“…Workers beyond cancer diagnosis may experience late effects of cancer treatments, like physical complaints (Ho et al, 2018), fatigue (Prue et al, 2006;Meunier et al, 2007;Reinertsen et al, 2010) or cognitive problems (Wefel et al, 2015). There are crosssectional research findings showing that these late effects may be associated with impaired occupational functioning, for instance lower work ability, even on the longer term (Boelhouwer et al, 2021b). However, studies on associations of late effects of cancer treatment and burnout complaints are not known to the authors.…”

Trajectories of Cognitive Symptoms in Sick-Listed Cancer Survivors

“…To date, only few longitudinal studies have investigated the association between cognitive symptoms and work ability in cancer survivors [ 6 , 15 , 16 ]. Dorland et al (2018) found that self-perceived cognitive symptoms in employed cancer survivors persisted and were consistently related to work limitations over the first 18 months after returning to work [ 15 ].…”