2024-10-30 13:33:00
One of the very first questions the patient asks at the time of diagnosis concerns the possibility of returning to work. An in-depth study is dedicated to the topic for women with metastatic breast cancer, in the area reserved for patients on the ‘novartis.it’ website, with 3 articles explaining initiatives, therapies and rights, thanks to the contribution of the patients’ association, of the oncologist and the labor law expert. The special was created for the month of October, dedicated to the prevention of the most frequent cancer in the female population. “Unfortunately, breast cancer presents itself more and more often at a young age and breaks into a woman’s life when she is at the height of her professional activity – explains Rosanna D’Antona, president of Europa Donna – So we went to the area to listen to the patients and hear what their experience was regarding the world of work. We have found that the rights of the worker are often restrictive compared to the real care needs that a patient may have over time”.
So the association started the “TrasformAzione” project about three years ago, with the aim of supporting patients in their job reinstatement. “Thanks to the progress of research – remarks D’Antona – there are more and more women with breast cancer who maintain a good quality of life and want to continue to feel professionally active, not only for financial autonomy, but also for return to life, leaving the sole dimension of the patient”. The president then underlines the results of a national research conducted by Europa Donna, which highlighted 2 problems related to returning to work: the first concerns patients, who often doubt their ability to get back into the game professionally, while the second concerns companies, which must be prepared to manage the needs of treatment and continuous monitoring of patients with metastatic cancer.
“Unfortunately, not all national collective labor agreements are uniform in protecting these aspects”, underlines D’Antona who talks about the impact of a project like ‘TrasformAzione’ which “helps patients look for work, supporting them in drafting their curriculum vitae, in managing the interview and analyzing one’s skills and aspirations. The process also includes an interview with an industrial psychologist and labor law consultancy. At least 150 women have already benefited from this path, moving from a mental state of ‘patient’ to that of ‘candidate’ – says D’Antona – because work is a complementary element to the therapeutic path”, with positive effects on well-being and quality of life of patients.
In this regard, innovative treatments, often administered orally at home, allow the oncological disease to become chronic, prolonging survival. “Returning to work is possible and highly desirable for women with metastatic breast cancer,” says Carmelo Bengala, director of the Medical Oncology Operating Unit at the Pisa University Hospital, underlining, in another article on the same site , the positive psychological impact that returning to work has on patients. The “natural history of the disease has changed” in recent years thanks to research. “Although metastatic breast cancer remains a complex pathology, characterized by more or less widespread forms – explains the oncologist – diagnostic and therapeutic innovation has led to the development of targeted drugs for various types of tumour, including hormone-sensitive ones and those which they overexpress the Her2 protein”.
The new treatments “allow a molecularly targeted treatment, reducing toxicity and improving efficacy, contributing to a longer duration of response to treatment and a return to a life as normal as possible”. Current treatments, “including the use of drugs conveyed by monoclonal antibodies – Bengala specifies – have significantly increased effectiveness by reducing toxicity”, changing the history of the disease, but a change of mentality is needed on the part of patients who, sometimes , struggle to accept the possibility of a return to normal life.
To protect the return to a productive context for those undergoing oncology treatment there is “a package of rights aimed” not only at “protecting their health”, but also “at guaranteeing participation in working life”. Domenico Tambasco, labor law lawyer, explains it in a detailed article in the special. “The most relevant right for these patients” concerns “the possibility of requesting the transformation of the employment contract from full-time to part-time. This right applies in the event that the disease is degenerative and is certified by the local health authority. This is not a faculty of the patient, but a right that the employer must recognize, despite having the possibility of deciding the extent of the reduction in hours. Another crucial right is that relating to work permits, “provided for by law 104 of 1992 – specifies the expert – and also the assignment of the workplace closest to the place of residence with the prohibition of transfer or assignment to night work . For patients themselves, there is the right to request agile working methods (smart working). The employer – he concludes – is obliged to guarantee the most suitable working conditions, protecting the psychophysical integrity of the patient, as established by article 2087 of the Consolidated Law on Safety”.
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