Exploring Women's Experiences of Work Participation During Breast Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Study.
- 1Direction of Health Professions, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) IRCCS, Aviano, Italy.
- 2U.O.C. Oncologia, Azienda ULSS 6 Euganea, Padova, Italy.
- 3Laboratory of Studies and Evidence Based Nursing, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract
Background
Breast cancer and its treatments significantly affect women's daily functioning, including their ability to engage in work. While return to work has been widely studied as an outcome, less is known about how work participation is experienced and negotiated during active treatment, particularly in relation to patients' functioning and support needs.Aim
The aim of this study was to explore how women with breast cancer experience and make sense of work participation while undergoing treatment.Methods
A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted with 19 women receiving treatment for breast cancer at three hospitals in northeastern Italy. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using Colaizzi's seven-step method.Results
Two main themes emerged: (1) 'The individual-focused nature of work experience,' comprising three subthemes: personality traits shaping work perspectives, personal adaptation processes, and work as a source of emotional normality and identity continuity. (2) 'Receiving support from the external context,' including compassionate support acknowledging vulnerability and organisational adjustments facilitating work participation.Conclusions
Work participation represents a clinically relevant dimension of breast cancer care, reflecting the interplay between symptom burden, functional capacity, and psychosocial well-being. Integrating work-related considerations into routine clinical practice may support more comprehensive and responsive care during active treatment.Patient or public contribution
No patients or members of the public were involved in the design or conduct of the study. Participants contributed through individual interviews, and three subsequently took part in member checking of the preliminary thematic structure to enhance the credibility of the findings.
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BibTeX
@article{cadorin2026exploring,
title = {{Exploring Women's Experiences of Work Participation During Breast Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Study.}},
author = {Lucia Cadorin and Anna Fortin and Sonja Cedrone and Jessica Longhini and Matteo Danielis},
journal = {Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1111/hex.70929},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910990},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exploring Women's Experiences of Work Participation During Breast Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Study.
AU - Lucia Cadorin
AU - Anna Fortin
AU - Sonja Cedrone
AU - Jessica Longhini
AU - Matteo Danielis
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy
DO - 10.1111/hex.70929
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910990
AB - Background Breast cancer and its treatments significantly affect women's daily functioning, including their ability to engage in work. While return to work has been widely studied as an outcome, less is known about how work participation is experienced and negotiated during active treatment, particularly in relation to patients' functioning and support needs.Aim The aim of this study was to explore how women with breast cancer experience and make sense of work participation while undergoing treatment.Methods A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted with 19 women receiving treatment for breast cancer at three hospitals in northeastern Italy. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using Colaizzi's seven-step method.Results Two main themes emerged: (1) 'The individual-focused nature of work experience,' comprising three subthemes: personality traits shaping work perspectives, personal adaptation processes, and work as a source of emotional normality and identity continuity. (2) 'Receiving support from the external context,' including compassionate support acknowledging vulnerability and organisational adjustments facilitating work participation.Conclusions Work participation represents a clinically relevant dimension of breast cancer care, reflecting the interplay between symptom burden, functional capacity, and psychosocial well-being. Integrating work-related considerations into routine clinical practice may support more comprehensive and responsive care during active treatment.Patient or public contribution No patients or members of the public were involved in the design or conduct of the study. Participants contributed through individual interviews, and three subsequently took part in member checking of the preliminary thematic structure to enhance the credibility of the findings.
SN - 1369-6513
SN - 1369-7625
ER -