Patient-Inclusive Research Sheds Light on Return to Work After Breast Cancer

A new study from the LIH focuses on women that return to work after breast cancer and marks a milestone in patient-partnered scientific authorship

• Cancer
• Public Health Expertise
• Department of Precision Health
• Reliance Breast Cancer

A multidisciplinary team from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) has published a new article in BMC Women’s Health examining the socioeconomic and clinical factors associated with returning to work following a breast cancer diagnosis. The study is a collaboration between the LIH, the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), the Service de santé au travail multisectoriel (STM), and patient partners through the Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) initiative of the LIH.

The article, entitled Returning to work after breast cancer diagnosis: a cross-sectional study of socioeconomic and clinical factors associated with return to work in Luxembourg, presents findings from a cross-sectional analysis of women’s experiences of workforce reintegration after breast cancer diagnosis. The RELIANCE pilot study identifies key sociodemographic and clinical determinants that affect return-to-work outcomes, providing evidence to support occupational health practice and policy development in Luxembourg.

This publication, conducted under the umbrella of the second National Cancer Plan, analysed patient-reported data collected through a newly developed digital questionnaire, which was co-designed and tested with two patient partners from the LIH’s PPI initiative. This questionnaire was distributed to women of working age who were diagnosed with breast cancer, affiliated with the STM and employed in Luxembourg at the time of diagnosis.

With a response rate of 39%, the overall return-to-work rate after their initial treatment and visit at the STM reached 83%, rising to 93% among women with higher level of education. Work ability before breast cancer diagnosis emerged as a significant positive predictor of job satisfaction after breast cancer, reinforcing evidence that maintaining a strong sense of work ability is critical for favourable long-term employment outcomes.

Returning to work is not only an economic issue but also an important part of recovery and social reintegration. Conducting research with patients, for patients, is essential. This first success story of patient-partnered research at the LIH will support future comprehensive cancer research and contribute to achieving a successful return to work,

said Dr Claudine Backes, head of the Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention team of the LIH and senior author of the study.

A central and innovative aspect of the study is the formal recognition of patient partners as co-authors, acknowledging their substantial contributions to study conception, interpretation of results, and dissemination. This approach reflects a growing commitment to meaningfully patient involvement in health research.

Further studies will be conducted by linking this data to cancer registry data. The authors conclude that workplace adaptations, occupational health support and policies that address socioeconomic inequalities are essential to ensure that all women affected by breast cancer have equal opportunities to return to employment.