Vocational Rehabilitation for the Return to Work of Breast Cancer Patients: a Feasibility Study

Overview

In Italy, 50% of new breast cancer (BC) diagnosis occur in female of working age. Although return to work (RTW) is strongly desired by BC patients, cancer survivors are more likely to be unemployed than healthy individuals. Moreover, work difficulties may hindrance this process. Since 2018, the investigators have planned a local social-healthcare pathway which provides a multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation intervention with the aim to help cancer survivors in their RTW process. To date, the feasibility of the multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation interventions has not been verified for BC patients.

BC is a public health burden with increasing trends in Western countries. In Italy, 50% of the new BC diagnosis have occurred in female of working age. Even though the return to work (RTW) is strongly desired, cancer survivors are 1.4 times more likely to be unemployed than healthy individuals. Furthermore, work difficulties may occur during this process. To promote the RTW, multidisciplinary interventions have shown moderate quality evidence in cancer survivors. Since 2018, the investigators have planned a local social-healthcare pathway which provides a multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation intervention with the aim to help cancer survivors in their RTW process. During the implementation of the pathway, BC patients were referred mainly by the physiotherapists of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit (PMRU). As standard care, BC patients can participate to an educational group session held by the physiotherapists after surgery. During this session, work difficulties have emerged. Thus, the investigators aim to verify the feasibility of the multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation intervention for a sample of BC patients whit work difficulties who will participate to an educational group session held by the physiotherapists.