Although the incidence of breast cancer is rising in Europe, more women are surviving the disease, according to a new study by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released today.

The report, entitled “The road to a better normal: Breast cancer patients and survivors in the EU workforce” and sponsored by Pfizer, considers policies and practices that could help patients and survivors who wish to return to work.

While many women who have been struck by the disease wish to continue working, there is substantial variation in national return-to-work rates across European Union countries.

National return to work rates for breast cancer patients and survivors who were in a job at the time of diagnosis range from 43% in the Netherlands to 82% in France.

Return to work rates depend on a wide range of interacting factors, including the impact of the disease itself, the impact of treatment and its side effects, the nature of work, the nature of the workplace, and socio-demographic situation.

The main non-medical barriers are lack of employer or colleague support, the extent to which work is physically demanding, and the level of education of the women involved.

The large variation in return to work rates suggests substantial room for improvement in policies and practices to support those who wish to return to work.

The study, which is based on an extensive literature search and interviews with 10 experts in the subject, concludes that changes are needed in the practices of clinicians and employers, and in the policy approaches of governments.

“While data on the likely impact of specific interventions are sparse, this study finds that simply engaging with the return-to-work issue is an important first step to ensure that breast cancer survivors receive the support they need,” said Aviva Freudmann, Research Director – EMEA Thought Leadership for the Economist Intelligence Unit, who directed the study.

Source: The Economist