Research Round-up – July 2019 – Ca-PRI special Dr Saskia Duijts

Episode two of the second season of Research Roundup features Dr. Kristi Milley chatting with Dr. Saskia Duijts, the Program Leader of Oncology in Primary Care at The University Medical Centre Groningen in The Netherlands. This episode was recorded during the 2019 Cancer and Primary Care Research International Network (Ca-PRI) Conference held in Toronto in May. During the conference, Saskia gave a presentation entitled ‘. In the interview, Saskia discusses the long-term negative work-related and financial outcomes faced by cancer survivors and the related consequences such as poor mental health. Approximately 50% of cancer diagnoses occur when a person is of working age. Of those persons who are diagnosed when they are of working age, approximately two-thirds return to work in some capacity. However, this means that one-third are no longer able to gain an income and for the two-thirds that do return to employment, many work reduced hours, face significant adversity doing so, and endure negative work outcomes. Saskia also discusses the ways in which primary care physicians can be more aware of the work-related issues facing cancer survivors, and how they can help in referring their patients to other avenues of support for work-related problems (e.g., social workers, psychologists). Saskia talks about how specific cancer types can create different issues for survivors as they seek to return to employment, concluding that tailored approaches are necessary to combat financial toxicity and greater awareness of financial toxicity, and related issues of mental health, is required.

Article

Financial toxicity is more than costs of care: the relationship between employment and financial toxicity in long-term cancer survivors. Pearce, A., Tomalin, B., Kaambwa, B., Horevoots, N., Duijts, S., Mols, F., van de Poll-Franse, L., & Koczwara. (2019). Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 13(1), pp. 10-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-018-0723-7

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