abstract: 'Purpose A considerable proportion of individuals who are diagnosed with

  cancer are at a working age. We aimed to gain an in-depth understanding

  of the challenges, and arising needs related to working after cancer in

  a setting with limited employment protection policies. Methods Focus

  group discussions were conducted with cancer patients who were diagnosed

  at least 1 year prior to recruitment, and either had paid work, were

  self-employed, currently unemployed, or currently retired (N = 66).

  Results Three main themes were identified: (1) loss of income: While

  some participants were entitled for a 1-year cancer-specific sick leave,

  many other participants recounted having insufficient paid sick leave,

  forcing them to take prolonged unpaid leave to complete treatment; (2)

  dealing with side effects of cancer and its treatment: The need for

  workplace accommodations was highlighted including flexible working

  hours, lighter workloads, and dedicated rest areas to enable patients to

  cope better; (3) Discrimination and stigma at workplace: Some

  participants mentioned being passed over on a promotion, getting

  demoted, or being forced to resign once their cancer diagnosis was

  disclosed, highlighting an urgent need to destigmatize cancer in the

  workplace. Conclusion In settings with limited employment protection

  policies, a cancer diagnosis severely impacts the working experiences of

  patients, leading to financial loss. Urgent interventions and

  legislative reforms are needed in these settings to address the unmet

  employment needs of cancer survivors. Implications for Cancer Survivors

  This study may facilitate planning of local solutions to fulfill the

  unmet employment needs following cancer, such as return-to-work

  navigation services.'
affiliation: 'Bhoo-Pathy, N (Corresponding Author), Univ Malaya, Dept Social \& Prevent
  Med, Ctr Epidemiol \& Evidence Based Practice, Fac Med, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.

  Kong, Yek-Ching; Rauf, Negina; Wong, Li-Ping; Bhoo-Pathy, Nirmala, Univ Malaya,
  Dept Social \& Prevent Med, Ctr Epidemiol \& Evidence Based Practice, Fac Med, Kuala
  Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.

  Rauf, Negina, Erasmus MC, NL-3015 GD Rotterdam, Netherlands.

  Subramaniam, Shridevi, Natl Inst Hlth NIH, Inst Clin Res, Ctr Clin Epidemiol, Shah
  Alam 40170, Selangor, Malaysia.

  Bustamam, Ros Suzanna, Kuala Lumpur Hosp, Dept Radiotherapy \& Oncol, Kuala Lumpur
  50586, Malaysia.

  Ho, Gwo-Fuang, Univ Malaya, Fac Med, Dept Clin Oncol, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.

  Zaharah, Hafizah, Natl Canc Inst, Dept Radiotherapy \& Oncol, Putrajaya 62250, Malaysia.

  Mellor, Matin; Yip, Cheng-Har, Subang Jaya Med Ctr, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia.'
author: Kong, Yek-Ching and Rauf, Negina and Subramaniam, Shridevi and Bustamam, Ros
  Suzanna and Wong, Li-Ping and Ho, Gwo-Fuang and Zaharah, Hafizah and Mellor, Matin
  and Yip, Cheng-Har and Bhoo-Pathy, Nirmala
author-email: ovenjjay@gmail.com
author_list:
- family: Kong
  given: Yek-Ching
- family: Rauf
  given: Negina
- family: Subramaniam
  given: Shridevi
- family: Bustamam
  given: Ros Suzanna
- family: Wong
  given: Li-Ping
- family: Ho
  given: Gwo-Fuang
- family: Zaharah
  given: Hafizah
- family: Mellor
  given: Matin
- family: Yip
  given: Cheng-Har
- family: Bhoo-Pathy
  given: Nirmala
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1007/s11764-020-00962-z
earlyaccessdate: OCT 2020
eissn: 1932-2267
files: []
issn: 1932-2259
journal: JOURNAL OF CANCER SURVIVORSHIP
keywords: Cancer; Survivorship; Supportive care; Return to work; Employment
keywords-plus: BREAST-CANCER; SURVIVORS; FACILITATORS; EXPERIENCE; EMPLOYERS; BARRIERS
language: English
month: OCT
number: '5'
number-of-cited-references: '28'
orcid-numbers: 'Bhoo-Pathy, Nirmala/0000-0003-0568-8863

  Kong, Yek-Ching/0000-0001-7085-8211

  Kong, Yek-Ching/0000-0001-7085-8211

  WONG, Li Ping/0000-0002-0107-0532

  HO, GWO FUANG/0000-0002-2620-9174'
pages: 706-712
papis_id: fc2cf013843a84df14654c0df0a3c7a6
ref: Kong2021workingcancer
researcherid-numbers: 'Bhoo-Pathy, Nirmala/C-1228-2010

  Kong, Yek-Ching/HPE-9954-2023

  Yip, Cheng-Har/B-1909-2010

  Kong, Yek-Ching/AAM-4131-2020

  WONG, Li Ping/B-2782-2010

  HO, GWO FUANG/B-8634-2010'
times-cited: '7'
title: 'Working after cancer: in-depth perspectives from a setting with limited employment
  protection policies'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000581558200001
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '7'
volume: '15'
web-of-science-categories: Oncology; Social Sciences, Biomedical
year: '2021'