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Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2021

Open Access 01-12-2021 | Breast Cancer | Research article

Sickness absence and disability pension among women with breast cancer: a population-based cohort study from Sweden

Authors: Pia K. Kvillemo, Lingjing Chen, Matteo Bottai, Paolo Frumento, Gino Almondo, Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz, Emilie Friberg, Kristina A. E. Alexanderson

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2021

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Abstract

Background

Women’s return to work after diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) is becoming more prevalent. However, register-based national investigation on sickness absence (SA) and disability pension (DP) in BC women is lacking. The aim of the study was to explore SA and DP before and after a first BC diagnosis and the possibility to predict new cancer-related SA by using disease-related and sociodemographic factors.

Methods

A longitudinal register study of the 3536 women in Sweden aged 19–64 with a first BC diagnosis in 2010 was conducted by linkage of five nationwide registers. Particularly, detailed information on SA and DP was obtained from the National Social Insurance Agency. Descriptive statistics on SA and DP 2 years before through 3 years after the BC diagnosis were performed. The risk of having a new SA spell due to BC or BC-related diagnoses was modeled using logistic regression.

Results

The proportion of women with SA increased during the year following the BC diagnosis date and declined over the next 2 years to proportions before diagnosis. At the time of BC diagnosis, half of the women began a new SA spell > 14 days with cancer, cancer-related, or mental diagnosis. Disease-related and sociodemographic factors including occupational sector, living area, age, cancer stage, educational level, and number of previous SA days showed statistical significance (p < 0.05) in predicting a new SA around BC diagnosis. By using these factors, it was possible to correctly predict 67% of the new SA spell.

Conclusions

SA among women with BC was elevated mainly in the first year after diagnosis. New SA following BC diagnosis can accurately be predicted.
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Metadata
Title
Sickness absence and disability pension among women with breast cancer: a population-based cohort study from Sweden
Authors
Pia K. Kvillemo
Lingjing Chen
Matteo Bottai
Paolo Frumento
Gino Almondo
Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz
Emilie Friberg
Kristina A. E. Alexanderson
Publication date
01-12-2021
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2021
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10703-1

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