Professional Life After Breast Cancer: Feasibility of a Coaching Program for an Adapted Return to Work

Professional Life After Breast Cancer: Feasibility of a Coaching Program for an Adapted Return to Work

The diagnosis of breast cancer and the treatments implemented have a significant impact on the professional situation.

Maintaining employment and/or reintegration into working life are therefore major issues for cancer patients.

This trial proposes to study the feasibility of a support/coaching program for a return to work in patients after breast cancer.

This study involves patients with breast cancer at the end of their adjuvant treatment.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of a support program for an adapted return to work of these patients.

This back-to-work support program including an individual interview to identify patient needs and expectations, 7 coaching workshops (every 3 weeks +/- 15 days) and a final individual assessment post workshops.

The evolution of quality of life, psychological distress and perceptions concerning work will also be evaluated through assessments and questionnaires before (inclusion) and after the support program [1 month (+/- 7 days) and 6 months (+/- 1 month) after the final individual assessment].

The study also aims to estimate the recruitment rate in the study and to assess the satisfaction of this support program.

Finally, the impact of this support program on the return to work will be described.

This initial study will eventually lead to a larger research protocol on the effectiveness of the program, using a randomized controlled trial design.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥18 years
• Patients cared at the Montpellier Cancer Institute (ICM) for non-metastatic breast cancer who have received adjuvant treatment (radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy)
• Patient who has completed adjuvant treatment, except for hormonotherapy
• Patient practicing a profession at the time of diagnosis, looking for a job or in professional retraining at the time of diagnosis
• Patient expressing spontaneously or on request of the oncologist physical or psychological difficulties in the professional field
• Patient wishing to be accompanied for an adapted return to her current job or for a return to a new more adapted job
• Patient who signed the informed consent after informed information by her clinician

Exclusion Criteria:

• Metastatic breast cancer or any other cancer within the last 5 years
• Patient who haven't completed herr adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy)
• Psychological condition requiring therapeutic support (objectified by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview test (MINI) by identifying a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-IV Axis I psychiatric disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) Sheehan et al., 1998) with the patient's refusal of adequate psychiatric treatment (medicated or not) at the time of inclusion in the study
• Severely impaired global cognitive functioning (objectified by an adjusted score of less than 20 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test)
• Physical inability to answer questionnaires