ReviewSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2017
Return to work among breast cancer survivors: A literature review.
Review in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 98 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
98 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Impact of Prostate Cancer Treatment on Work Participation: A Systematic Review.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Experiences of cancer survivors returning to work decision-making: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2025Pooled it
- Prognostic factors for return to work in breast cancer survivors.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Experiences of women with breast cancer while working or returning to work: a qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Pooled it
- Rehabilitation interventions to support return to work for women with breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cancer · 2021Pooled it
- A systematic review of rehabilitation and exercise recommendations in oncology guidelines.CA: a cancer journal for clinicians · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Systematic reviews as a "lens of evidence": Determinants of cost-effectiveness of breast cancer screening.Cancer medicine · 2019Pooled it
- A comprehensive approach to rehabilitation interventions following breast cancer treatment - a systematic review of systematic reviews.BMC cancer · 2019Pooled it
- Predictors of Unemployment After Breast Cancer Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2018Pooled it
- Returning to Work After Breast Cancer Surgery: A Randomised Controlled Trial on the Effect of Pain Neuroscience Education.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2023Trial
- Realist Collaborative Evaluation of a Work Disability Prevention Program for Breast Cancer Survivors: Protocol for a RECOVA-FASTRACS Realist Evaluation.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Role function in postmenopausal women during aromatase inhibitor therapy for breast cancer.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2026Article
- Returning to work after breast cancer diagnosis: a cross-sectional study of socioeconomic and clinical factors associated with return to work in Luxembourg.BMC women's health · 2026Observational
- A Review of Acceptance Measures for Cancer Survivors: Employment, Multicultural, and Language Considerations.Journal of rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Working conditions associated with return to work 2 years after breast cancer: insights from a cohort study.British journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Latent profile analysis of return-to-work readiness and self-efficacy among breast cancer survivors who have not returned to work post-surgery.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2025Article
- From treatment to return to work in chilean breast cancer survivors: a qualitative study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Development and Validation of the Questionnaire of Factors Related to the Adaptability to Return to Work Among Cancer Patients.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Psychometric validation of the adapted inventory of virtues and strengths for cancer survivors: Implications for psychosocial and vocational rehabilitation.Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2025Article
38 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeBreast cancer survivors in their employment years are likely to try to go back to work after the primary treatment. Because the literature on return to work among breast cancer survivors is limited, we have undertaken a review of the literature to summarize what is known, including identifying important contributing variables and outcomes. This knowledge may be used to develop hypotheses and potential interventions to support breast cancer survivors who wish to return to work.
methodWe searched the following databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, SCOUP, and PUBMED, within a 10-year timeframe (2004 to 2014).
resultsThe majority of reviewed articles (N = 25) focused on three outcomes: return-to-work period, work ability, and work performance. The most frequently studied independent variables were collapsed into the following groups: health and well-being, symptoms and functioning, work demands and work environment, individual characteristics, and societal and cultural factors. Gaps in the literature include evidence of effective interventions to support return to work among breast cancer survivors and research to better understand the roles of government and business-related policy.
conclusionAll the studies reported a reduced work engagement and work ability. Employment status and work performance is associated with a combination of individual factors, work environment, culture, and resources. IMPLICATIONS: Significant gaps are apparent in the literature addressing breast cancer survivorship and return to work. This is a complex problem and it will likely require interdisciplinary research teams to develop effective and feasible interventions for this population.
Indexed as
Identifiers
27873016What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.