Although the attitudes of cancer patients and survivors and their co-workers have changed over the years, one factor has remained constant over the past generation: most cancer survivors want to, and in fact, are able to perform their jobs and return to work after diagnosis. Whether your patient continues to work during treatment or returns to work after treatment, and if so, whether that patient’s diagnosis or treatment will result in working limitations, depends on many factors.

These factors may include age, stage at diagnosis, financial status, education, and access to health insurance and transportation, as well as the physical demands of the job and the presence of any other chronic health conditions. Medical treatment decisions that consider quality of life and the shift towards providing cancer treatment in outpatient settings have contributed to the increasing number of survivors who can work during their treatment.

During this difficult time, it is important for your patient to know his or her legal rights relating to employment. Equally important is discovering ways to avoid cancer-related employment problems and understand the steps to consider if your patient feels they’ve have been treated differently because of his or her cancer experience. Working It Out: Your Employment Rights As A Cancer Survivor helps spur the conversation about employment issues with your patients.

Sections in this publication include:

How Employment Discrimination Laws Protect Cancer Survivors »

What Can I Do to Avoid Discrimination? »

What Can I Do to Enforce My Legal Rights? »