[Work ability in cancer patients: Six years assessment after diagnosis in a cohort of 153 workers].

PURPOSE: If several studies analyse the working abilities of cancer survivors two years after the diagnosis, few of them analyse the long term becoming at work of these patients. Here we study a cohort of 153 workers, 6 years after they returned to work after experiencing a cancer in 2005 or 2006. All these workers participated in a previous study realised in 2008, two years after the diagnosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fourty occupational physicians included 153 workers out of the 319 particpating in a first study conducted in 2008. Two questionnaires were completed by both the worker and the occupationnal physician. Twenty four patients' interviews and nine physician's interviews were also realized for qualitative analysis.

RESULTS: Six years after they returned to work, 46% were still working in the same company. Among patients aged less than 55 years (113 out of 153), they were 20% to leave the company (a 4% annual rate). Concerning the 83 salaries still at work, sequelaes of the disease are often still present: fatigue (57%), sleep disorders (56% vs 34% at 2 years), memory and concentration disorders (34%) and chronic pain (16%). Thirty one percent reported serious anxious disorders vs 29% in 2008. Difficulties are still present in 71% of the responders. Fourty percent of the nonexecutive workers feeled penalized. Qualitative study shows that a successfull return to work is associated with a friendly environement, the support of the company, and a long term accompagnying policy.

CONCLUSIONS: Six years after returning to work, one employee out of two is still working in the same company. Far to disappear, the identified difficulties two years after the diagnosis are still present, long time after stopping the treatments. A successfull return to work needs an important support from both the company and the co-workers.