Employment and retirement status of older cancer survivors compared to non-cancer siblings

Background: The effect of cancer on employment and retirement status in an older work force is not well understood. This study examines whether cancer survivors were less likely to be working than a sibling comparison group. Objectives: To compare work-related variables between older cancer survivors and a group of non-cancer sibling controls. A secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of cancer site and time since cancer diagnosis on work-related variables. Methods: Data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) were used to assess work outcomes in cancer survivors (+CA, n=539, mean age=65.81, SD=4.75 years) and non-cancer sibling controls (-CA, n=539, mean age=63.95, SD=5.31 years). Results: Survivors (+CA group) were more likely to report not working (61.8%) and to be completely retired (55%) than the-CA group (48.3% not employed; 42% retired). Controlling for age, gender and education, this effect persisted with the +CA group more likely to be not working (OR=1.40; 95% CI=1.08 to 1.83) and completely retired (OR=1.36; 95% CI=1.05 to 1.77) than the-CA group. Neither time since diagnosis nor cancer site affected work outcomes. Conclusions: In this study, older +CA survivors were less likely to be working and more likely to be completely retired than-CA sibling controls. Future research should evaluate factors affecting work status among older cancer survivors.