Return to Work – A symbol of normality or yet another challenge for cancer patients?

Frances Fitzgerald MEP Chair of Transforming Breast Cancer Together

Long-term survival rates for breast cancer are improving. This is good news for World Cancer Day, held every 4th of February, as the global initiative to reimagine a world where millions of cancer deaths are prevented and access to life-saving cancer treatment and care is available to all – no matter who you are or where you live. Thanks to advances in early diagnosis, more effective treatments and improvements in quality of care, more people than ever are transitioning from breast cancer patient to a person who had or lives with breast cancer. But treating cancer is only part of the journey. While returning to work is not an option for every cancer patient, an increasing number of people with breast cancer – those with primary, advanced or metastatic cancer – are returning to work, and it can be challenging. Post-COVID, in many cases these challenges have been exacerbated. It is essential that people who had or live with breast cancer and wish to return to work, can successfully manage this transition both during or after treatment, enabling them to fully participate in their communities and society.