How to juggle work and breast-cancer treatment
A breast-cancer diagnosis
can be a devastating
blow.
Upon receiving such
a diagnosis, people may begin
to ask questions about treatment
and the impact cancer
may have on their personal
lives.
Many people who are diagnosed
with cancer also begin
to wonder about their mortality.
An estimated 266,120 new
cases of invasive breast cancer
and 63,960 new cases of non-invasive,
or in-situ, breast cancer
are expected to be diagnosed
among women in the United
States this year, according
to Breastcancer.org. According
to the latest statistics presented
by the Canadian Breast
Cancer foundation, 26,300
women and 230 men had been
diagnosed with breast cancer
in Canada in 2017.
The good news is that
breast-cancer incidence rates
began decreasing in 2000 after
increasing for the previous
two decades.
In addition, death rates
from breast cancer have
been decreasing steadily
since 1989.
The National Cancer
Institute says that
the change in age-adjusted
mortality rates
are an indicator of the
progress being made
in the fight against
breast cancer.
The most
recent SEER
Cancer Statistics
Review released
in April 2018
indicates cancer death rates
among women decreased by
1.4 percent per year between
the years of 2006 and 2015.
The American Cancer Society
says that decreasing death
rates among major cancer
types, including prostate, colorectal,
lung, and breast cancers,
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.22 COM | OCT. 9-OCT. 15, 2020
are driving the overall
shift in survival. The Society
says breast-cancer death rates
among women declined by
39 percent from 1989
to 2015. That progress
is attributed
to improvements
in early detection
and treatment
protocols.
For anyone doing
the math, over the last
25 years or so, 322,000
lives have been saved
from breast cancer.
A similar scenario
has unfolded
in Canada. Breast
cancer mortality rates
in Canada recently decreased
to 21.4 percent, down
from 21.8 percent in 2011,
states data from the Canadian
Cancer Society.
Currently, the five-year
survival rate for breast cancer
among Canadians is 87 percent,
and the five-year net survival
in the United States is 85
percent.
Increased knowledge about
breast cancer, early detection
through examinations and
mammography, and improved
treatments are helping to drive
up the survival rates of breast
cancer. Although this does not
make diagnosis any less scary,
it does offer hope to those recently
diagnosed.
Age is a risk factor for
breast cancer, and
the organization Susan
G. Komen notes
that the older a woman is,
the more likely she is to get
breast cancer. However, data
from the National Cancer Institute
indicates that breast
cancer rates in women begin
to increase after age 40,
meaning many women diagnosed
with breast cancer
have to juggle both their disease
and their careers.
The nonprofit organization
Breastcancer.org says
that breast cancer treatments
can produce some
cognitive side effects that
affect thinking and memory.
Memory loss and difficulty
concentrating are two such
side effects that can make it
difficult for working women
to do their jobs while being
treated for breast cancer.
Professional women diagnosed
with breast cancer
may be able to take advantage
of short- and long-term
disability programs that
provide a percentage of
their incomes if they are
diagnosed with an illness
that prevents them from doing
their jobs. In addition,
Breastcancer.org notes that,
in the United States, the
Family and Medical Leave
Act allows employees to
maintain their benefits and
keep their jobs while taking
up to 12 weeks of unpaid
leave to heal from serious
health conditions.
Despite those options,
many women may want to
continue working while
receiving treatment for
breast cancer. Such women
can heed the following tips,
courtesy of Breastcancer.
org, to overcome any cognitive
effects of treatment so
they can continue to perform
their jobs capably:
Start taking notes.
Start taking notes during
meetings, important workrelated
conversations, and
even doctor’s appointments
to counter any issues with
memory. Keep such notes
on a tablet or smartphone
so they can be quickly and
easily accessed throughout
the day.
Write down deadlines
and work schedules. Accomplished
professionals
may keep lists of deadlines
and work schedules
in their heads, but
that internal list might
not be so reliable while
women are being treated
for breast cancer.
Make use of the calendar
function on
your smartphone
or tablet to note
deadlines, even
setting alerts so you receive
routine reminders when important
dates are coming
up.
Make and routinely update
a to-do list. Some professional
women diagnosed
with breast cancer may be
juggling work, treatment,
and their families. Keeping
a to-do list and checking
items off as they’re completed
can help women effectively
manage such juggling
acts and save time.
Set realistic goals.
Breast cancer treatment can
produce a host of side effects,
including fatigue. So women
who plan to continue working
during treatment should
be sure to set realistic goals
that take into account the
effects that treatment may
have on their energy levels.
If need be, delegate more
tasks and ask for
more help.
Many women
continue
w o r k i n g
while being
treated for
breast cancer.
A few simple
adjustments can
help such women
overcome many
t r e a t m e n t -
related obstacles.
Data from the National Cancer Institute indicates that breast cancer rates in women begin to increase
after age 40, meaning many women diagnosed with breast cancer have to juggle both their
disease and their careers.
Early detection and better treatment options are improving the
chances of surviving breast cancer.
Breast cancer survival rates soar
/Breastcancer.org
/Breastcancer.org
/Breastcancer.org
