For those of you regular readers of our blog, you know that we often post stories on research that is relevant to people concerned with the issues around balancing cancer and work.  In 2012, we thought it was important to take another step forward and start contributing to that body of knowledge with research of our own.  To that end, we partnered with Harris Interactive (because if you are going to add to the discourse, you should do it with the best pollsters around) to develop and field a survey on the experiences of people who were diagnosed with cancer and are currently employed.  It was important to narrow our focus to just one of our main constituent groups (people currently working) to get the most comprehensive feedback possible.  In 2013, we will field another survey focused specifically on the experiences of unemployed survivors who are actively looking for work.

The 2012 survey confirmed things we hear from cancer survivors every day - they want to work, they do work and they need support to navigate work and a diagnosis effectively. For instance, the three key factors motivating employees with cancer to continue working after diagnosis were they felt well enough, they wanted to keep things as normal as possible and they wanted to feel productive. And, nearly eight in 10 people felt that cancer recovery was aided by the routine nature of work.

As the authority on the practical issues that arise when someone is managing work and cancer, we will continue to both support individuals who are facing the delicate balancing act between work, life and treatment as well as lead the charge in communicating to the greater cancer community (and the public at large) how critical these issues are to patients and survivors (and those who support them). 

For more on the survey, please check out the press release and key findings, as well as an article from last week's Wall Street Journal.