Women’s return to work after experiencing breast cancer: a metasynthesis

Abstract

Introduction: breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women worldwide and the number of cases has increased among the economically active population. Therefore, issues related to returning to work after BC has aroused the interest of the scientific community. Objective: To systematize and synthesize qualitative studies that address the experience of returning to work after BC. Methods: qualitative meta-synthesis with search for primary studies in ASSIA, BIREME, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, SciELO, Scopus and Web of Science databases. The total of 779 articles were found, of which only nine met the inclusion criteria. Results: six second-order concepts were generated: the effects of the disease on rehabilitation; financial problems; fear of recurrences; support from family, friends and health professionals; and changes in the meaning of work after BC. Conclusion: the return to work should not be limited to aspects related to obstacles and facilitators of rehabilitation. The “worlds of life” shown in the broader contextual factors reveal that facing the return to work implies improving support for workers in the work environment, in family life, in the relationship with the health and social security systems and in the individual sphere, to prevent early retirements and prolonged disability.