• Miyako Takahashi, Miyako Tsuchiya, Yoshitsugu Horio, Hatsumi Funazaki, Kenjiro Aogi, Kazue Miyauchi, and Yasuaki Arai.
• Division of Cancer Survivorship Research, Center for Cancer Control and Information Services, National Cancer Center, Tokyo.
• Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. 2018 Jan 1; 48 (1): 43-51.

ObjectiveDespite advances in work-related policies for cancer survivors, support systems for working survivors in healthcare settings in Japan remain underdeveloped. We aimed to reveal (i) the present situation of cancer survivors' job resignation, the timing of resignation, and reasons for resignation; (ii) healthcare providers' screening behaviors of cancer survivors' work-related difficulties and (iii) changes to cancer survivors' information/support needs over time since diagnosis.MethodsWe conducted an anonymous, cross-sectional survey using a convenience sample of re-visiting outpatients at three cancer centers in Japan in 2015. The questionnaire covered participants' demographic and clinical characteristics, change to job status, timing of and reasons for job resignation, screening experience regarding work-related difficulties by healthcare providers, and information/support needs at four distinct timings (at diagnosis, between diagnosis and initial treatment, between initial treatment and return-to-work, and after return-to-work). The results of 950 participants were eligible for statistical analysis.ResultsOnly 23.5% of participants were screened about work-related issues by healthcare providers despite 21.3% participants reporting resigning at least once. Among participants who resigned, 40.2% decided to do so before initial treatment began. Regarding reasons for resignation, self-regulating and pessimistic reasons were ranked highly. Respondents' work-related information and support needs were observed to change over time. While treatment-related information (schedule and cost) was ranked highly at diagnosis, the need for more individually tailored information and support on work increased after treatment began.ConclusionsThis study provides important basic data for developing effective support systems for working survivors of cancer in hospital settings.© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

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