People being treated for cancer can experience symptoms, such as nausea and fatigue. Some people have difficulty working during treatment because of these symptoms. The Breast Cancer and the Workforce studies seek to learn more about how treatment for breast cancer affects patients’ employment, financial situation, and quality of life.
Our Research
The IHCD Service’s research team, led by Victoria Blinder, is conducting two multi-institutional studies to examine the relationship between treatment for cancer and employment outcomes.
Workplace/Employer Accommodations during Cancer Treatment (WE-ACT): A mobile health app to promote job retention in people undergoing treatment for cancer.
The purpose of this study is to develop and obtain feedback on a pilot version of WE-ACT (Workplace/Employer Accommodations during Cancer Treatment), a mobile health application (app) in English and Spanish to support working during systemic therapy for cancer. WE-ACT builds upon an app previously developed for breast cancer survivors, which leverages vocational rehabilitation standards for job- and impairment-tailored accommodations combined with coaching grounded in communication theory (e.g., individualized prompt lists, sample videos of negotiation strategies) and informational resources to improve breast cancer patients’ ability to obtain needed accommodations and continue to work during treatment. Although this app was created for breast cancer patients, its content and format are readily amenable to modification for a broader cancer patient population.
Breast Cancer and the Workforce: Ethnic Differences in the Impact of Breast Cancer on Employment Status, Financial Situation, and Quality of Life
The purpose of this study is to learn more about how being treated for breast cancer affects patients’ employment, financial situation, and quality of life on a short-term and long-term basis. Most studies of employment after breast cancer have focused on white women. This study evaluates the impact of breast cancer on the lives of women from different ethnic groups.
Breast Cancer and the Workforce: Talking to Employers and Medical Staff about Work
The purpose of this study is to learn more about how chemotherapy for breast cancer affects patients’ employment. Researchers are assessing an early version of a mobile app, called TEAMWork (which stands for talking to employers and medical staff about work), designed to help people with breast cancer keep their jobs during and after chemotherapy. The app provides advice for people with breast cancer to use when having conversations about the disease with their employers and their doctors.
Contact Us
For more information on this research, please contact Maria Claros at clarosm@mskcc.org.