Affiliations: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
Canada | University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada | Fraser Valley Cancer Centre, Surrey, BC, Canada | Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada | Family Medicine Teaching Unit, Dr. Everett Chalmers
Regional Hospital, Fredericton, NB, Canada | McGill University Health Centre Division of Palliative
Care, Montreal General Hospital, Canada | Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation, Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Elizabeth Quinlan, Department of
Sociology, 9 Campus Drive, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
Canada, S7N5A5. Fax: +1 (306) 966 6950; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Each year over 20,000 Canadian women are diagnosed with breast
cancer. Many breast cancer survivors anticipate a considerable number of years
of potential participation in the paid labour market, therefore, the link
between breast cancer survivorship and productivity deserves serious
consideration. The hypothesis guiding this study is that arm morbidities
such as lymphedema, pain, and range of motion limitations are important
explanatory variables in survivors' loss of productivity. The study draws from
a larger longitudinal research project involving over 600 breast cancer
survivors in four geographical locations across Canada. The study's regression
results indicate that, after adjusting for fatigue, breast cancer stage,
and geographical location, survivors with range of motion limitations and arm
pain are more than two and half times as likely to lose some productivity
capacity as compared to counterparts with no arm morbidity. The findings make a
compelling argument for the necessity of adequate rehabilitation programs
delivered at crucial times in breast cancer survivors' recovery. The study's
unexpected finding that geographical location is a highly significant predictor
of changes in productivity among breast cancer survivors is interpreted as a
factor of the regulatory framework governing employment relationships in the
four different jurisdictions.
Keywords: Breast cancer survivorship, arm morbidity, return-to-work
