Supporting Return to Work After Cancer
In 2024, Infopro Digital signed a three-year partnership in France with Gustave Roussy, Europe’s leading cancer center and the fourth worldwide, to support a research program aimed at facilitating return to work after cancer. Through this partnership, Infopro Digital is supporting an international research team at Gustave Roussy conducting various studies related to job retention and return to work. These studies focus particularly on the use of digital technologies to help individuals manage the long-term side effects of treatment (severe fatigue, etc.). Gustave Roussy’s team is concentrating its research on a sample of active women with breast cancer, with the results expected to be applicable to all cancers and potentially other diseases.
Dr Ines Vaz Luis, a medical oncologist and researcher, is an internationally recognized specialist in post-cancer quality of life (survivorship) and its assessment. At Gustave Roussy, she leads a medical-scientific program focusing on post-cancer care, aiming to better identify and prevent toxicities associated with treatments. She is the scientific head of the CANTO cohort (CANcer TOxicities), which investigates the toxicities developed in women treated for localized breast cancer.
Why conduct research on “post-cancer” and return to work?
Dr Ines Vaz Luis: For the past 30 years, the number of new cancer cases in Europe has been increasing each year, mainly due to an ageing population, rising risk behaviours like smoking, and improvements in diagnostic or screening methods. At the same time, survival rates after cancer have risen thanks to early diagnosis, new surgical techniques, and the development of new treatments. More and more people are living with cancer. However, they must face the physical, psychological, and social consequences of cancer and its treatments. Studies have shown that more than 50% of women who have had non-metastatic breast cancer suffer from at least one severe post-treatment symptom. This significantly impacts adherence to prescribed treatments and increases the risk of relapse. Reducing and preventing the impact of symptoms on patients’ lives, through a personalised support care approach, is essential.
A large proportion of people diagnosed with cancer are of working age. In France, for example, around 30,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer out of 61,200 new cases each year, and nearly 30,000 men with prostate cancer. Worldwide, the incidence of early cancer or cancer occurring in adults under 50 has increased by nearly 80% since the 1990s. Cancer can have a significant impact on individuals’ professional lives. Sick leave can last for several months following a diagnosis and can also lead to a reduction in income due to sick leave or job loss. Two years after a breast cancer diagnosis, only 70% of women return to work. However, returning to work is associated with a better quality of life and is considered an important part of the recovery process.
Is there support for individuals returning to work?
Dr Ines Vaz Luis: At Gustave Roussy, many types of support are available to individuals diagnosed with cancer and their families. To name a few : the “psychological issues of returning to work” workshop, which addresses concerns, communication with colleagues, performance, fatigue, the joy of social connection, etc.; the “working with cancer” training for managers to better support their employees affected by cancer. This training covers cancer-related issues in the workplace, treatments, and psychological and physical impacts, aiming to improve job retention and facilitate the return to work.
Finally, Gustave Roussy is leading a clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of the ITACA* intervention compared to standard care in reducing the number of sick leave days between diagnosis and the first return to work. ITACA includes psycho-educational, physical, and professional reintegration support provided via two digital tools (an app and a website), complemented by individual follow-up by an occupational psychologist. The study also examines the impact on professional status two years after diagnosis and the circumstances of return to work, as well as on various quality of life domains (fatigue, pain, anxiety, depression).
*Intervention for return to work after breast cancer
How to create conditions for job retention and return to work?
Dr Ines Vaz Luis: It is crucial to include a preventive approach to limit the aftermath of treatments, and to also make individuals more active and in control of their journey after a cancer diagnosis.
Informing employers and employees is key, as the issue of return to work and job retention is still under-addressed. Awareness resources are still limited. That is why Infopro Digital is partnering with Gustave Roussy to create a guide for managers on how to manage the return to work and job retention of an employee diagnosed with cancer.
It is also important to raise awareness among patients early in their care journey about the importance of planning for their return to work and providing them with the necessary tools when they feel ready to begin the process. Moreover, offering support care and directing patients to these resources can reduce or eliminate the side effects of treatment, thus facilitating the return to work.
How can the partnership with Infopro Digital be useful?
Dr Ines Vaz Luis: Most of the funding for our Cancer Survivorship team comes from responses to calls for projects launched by various national or international bodies. These funds are allocated for specific projects with defined timeframes. However, unforeseen circumstances are part of any research project and can cause difficulties in its successful execution. The financial support provided by Infopro Digital gives us the necessary flexibility to boost our research (and explore certain issues in more detail).
The partnership with Infopro Digital will also enable a sharing of expertise, particularly in terms of communication and dissemination of our research results, especially aimed at employers and managers.