Can a cancer patient work during treatment?

Some cancer patients can continue their normal daily routines during treatment, including going to work. Others may feel much more ill and need a little more rest.

If you can work while treatment continues, it can help you feel more like yourself. Your job is an important source of necessary income and reminds you that you have a life outside cancer; you remember that you are a valued employee, wonderful boss or reliable staff member. Your usual communication with colleagues also continues.

Sometimes cancer can make you feel lonely and isolated, and there are comforting effects of being with other people in social settings for you.

If you have left work and are considering returning, discuss possible arrangements with your employer, such as flexible working hours, occasional home working or sharing the workload. Such options for returning may avoid straining your mind and body.

Returning to work may be easy

Returning to full-time work may be relatively easy for some people. Aubrey Glencamp, a senior executive at a financial services company in Atlanta, was diagnosed with male breast cancer in April 2016. He told his boss and colleagues. He stayed away from work for about 3 weeks after surgery. His colleagues visited him or sent gifts. They thought he needed to spend time outside the hospital. Nausea, weakness and other treatment side effects led them to understand that returning to work, even from home, would help him cope, and Glencamp began doing some tasks at home. Medicines can temporarily impair short-term memory and critical thinking skills. Many cancer patients call this chemo brain . Working at home helped Glencamp, even though he needed a little longer to finish tasks. He describes it this way: “I had a light workload. My boss and colleagues were very supportive. They supported me working from home and resting as much as I needed. Even when I went to the office, they said I could go home and work if I wanted, rather than stay there.”

Returning to work may be difficult

Unlike the other story, returning to work after colon ( large intestine ) cancer treatment in November 2016 was not so easy for Oregon marketing coordinator Jane Johnson. She informed her manager of her diagnosis and requested moving her office closer to the main workplace so she would not have to walk as much. Instead, the company placed her on short-term disability leave. Although she initially thought this was good, time began to drag. When her short-term leave ended, Johnson was given long-term unpaid leave without health insurance coverage. She could use government insurance, but had to pay most treatment costs, several surgeries and chemotherapy with credit cards. She also lost contact with her colleagues during this time. Johnson describes her feelings as follows; “This period was really difficult, and I was deeply disappointed. I felt as if this disease had ruined my whole life.”

Johnson later returned to work after her doctor told her she was healthy. She had not actually wanted to return, but did because she needed to earn money. However, she was experiencing short-term memory loss and cognitive difficulties called chemo brain. After a few weeks, she found a new job and left the old one where she was unhappy. She hoped for a fresh start at the other workplace. But she also had memory difficulties in her new job. She struggled during the adjustment period when she needed to learn new things and was dismissed after 6 weeks. She now works as a cashier in a retail store that provides health insurance.

Advice from experts

Returning to work during cancer treatment can differ for everyone. Factors such as your attitude toward work, health and working environment also influence it. Many factors, including work-related ones, are outside your control. However, some approaches can help you manage your time and work better:

• Schedule chemotherapy late in the day or just before the weekend. This gives you time to recover a little. 
• If possible, arrange opportunities to work from home on some days. Reducing physical movement will make you less tired.
• Get help with housework so you have more energy at work. This could be a family member, friend or helper.
• Share your situation with colleagues. They can support you and help with your tasks.
• Inform your manager about changes in your condition and keep your plans up to date.
• Take regular notes and make lists to remember and manage tasks outside work more easily.

You have legal rights

You have legal rights protecting you as an employee during illness. These may vary by institution. Some organizations cover all treatment costs, while others may provide rights such as paid leave. It is useful to learn these thoroughly. Speak to the human resources department or directly to your employer.

Learn from experience and information

Although we give examples of two patients from other countries, cancer affects us similarly regardless of geography and culture. Learning from the experiences of patients around you or encountered during treatment who share similar circumstances will be useful. When returning to work during cancer, it helps to stay calm and avoid rushing. If you feel very unwell, do not start working immediately or push yourself; take care of yourself first. However, keeping occupied with light work or hobbies that engage your mind can help you get through treatment much better.

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