Rani Eversley, PhD¹, Diane R. Estrin, BS², Linda A. Wardlaw, DrPH³, Wendy Favila Penney⁴, Maria Pedrosa, MA⁴, Alexis Martinez, MPH¹, Joanna Sickler⁵, and Suzanne L. Dibble, DNSc⁶. (1) Social and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF, Box 0612, San Francisco, CA 94143, 415-502-2209, devers@itsa.ucsf.edu, (2) Community Action to Fight Asthma: A Project of Community Health Works/SFSU, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1700, Oakland, CA 94612, (3) Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 1732 Hearst Avenue #2, Berkeley, CA 94703, (4) Womens Cancer Resource Center, 5741 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94609, (5) Institute for Health and Aging, UCSF, Box 0646, San Francisco, CA 94143, (6) Institute of Health & Aging, University of California San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 340, San Francisco, CA 94118

The purpose of this study was to examine demographic, social, and factors regarding breast cancer disease and treatment that may impact ability to return to work in a multi-ethnic sample of breast cancer survivors. Self-report data were collected from 116 women using a face-to-face survey instrument administered in English and in Spanish. Study measures included demographics, disease severity, surgical and post-surgical treatments, and post-treatment symptoms. The mean age of the women who participated in the survey was 47. Thirty-percent were Caucasian, 30% African-American, 25% Latina, and 15% were women of other ethnic backgrounds. African-Americans and Latinas were more likely to report job loss. African-Americans were also most likely to report changing jobs. Latinas reported the most rapid return to work; African-Americans reported the longest intervals off work. Independent correlates of job loss included depressive symptoms and being treated with chemotherapy. Independent predictors of changing jobs included having pain, and being not currently married. Being Latina, having a lower income, and having children living at home were all independently associated with an earlier return to work. Receiving chemotherapy was associated with a lengthier return to work. These data suggest that return to work is associated with economic, family responsibility, treatment and post-treatment symptom factors. Programs to assist these women may need to offer information and symptom management as well as temporary financial assistance with a special emphasis on those who are mothers.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will increase their ability to identify barriers to returning to work among women after breast cancer surgery.
• Participants will increase their ability to identify the contribution of ethnicity and social class to ability to return to work after breast cancer surgery.
• Participants will increase their knowledge regarding the contribution of post-surgical symptoms to ability to return to work after breast cancer surgery.

Keywords: Breast Cancer,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.