Giving up work after cancer: An exploratory qualitative study of three clinical cases.

BACKGROUND: Enabling cancer survivors to resume employment has become a public health issue in France, but not all survivors wish to or would benefit from doing so.

OBJECTIVE: This French exploratory qualitative study was designed to identify the psychological factors that influence the decision of some cancer survivors not to return to work, despite their doctor's permission.

METHODS: We conducted semi structured interviews with two women and one man. Each interview lasted around 90 minutes. Qualitative analysis of the interviews (clinical case studies) highlighted a number of similarities and differences among these three patients.

RESULTS: Comparisons revealed six similarities: 1. the issue of income and its importance had no part in the decision-making process; 2. patients anticipated work return problems; 3. they therefore abandoned their plans to go back; 4. work lost its meaning for them; 5. repressed affects surfaced or they reassessed their career plans; and 6. their life trajectories were disrupted, with the stages being telescoped together. There were also two differences: 1. feelings of social exclusion for two participants, and 2. gendered experiences of quitting employment.

CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals and job retention support services need to take this clinical reality into account and acknowledge that not all patients wish to resume work or would benefit from doing so.