Table 1.
Characteristics of women of working age diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer between 2005 and 2012 (N = 8870) together with hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for sick leave and return to work after sick leave
| Characteristic | Women | Sick leave | Return to work after sick leave | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | (%) | HRa (95% CI) | HRa (95% CI) | |
| Chemotherapy | ||||
| No | 4451 | (50) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| Yes | 4419 | (50) | 1.28 (1.22–1.34) | 0.43 (0.41–0.45) |
| Radiotherapy (RT) | ||||
| Mastectomy only | 1337 | (15) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| Mastectomy + RT | 1512 | (17) | 1.11 (1.04–1.18) | 0.81 (0.76–0.87) |
| BCS + RT | 5751 | (65) | 0.82 (0.78–0.86) | 0.91 (0.87–0.96) |
| BCS onlyb | 192 | (2) | ||
| Missing | 78 | (1) | ||
| Endocrine therapyc | ||||
| No | 1982 | (22) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| Yes | 6888 | (78) | 1.08 (1.00–1.17) | 0.84 (0.78–0.91) |
| Tumor size (mm) | ||||
| 1–10 | 2178 | (25) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| 11–20 | 4154 | (47) | 1.01 (0.96–1.06) | 0.89 (0.85–0.94) |
| > 20 | 2453 | (28) | 1.04 (0.98–1.10) | 0.86 (0.81–0.91) |
| Missing | 85 | (1) | ||
| Lymph node involvement | ||||
| N0 | 6391 | (72) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| N1 | 2479 | (28) | 1.04 (0.98–1.09) | 0.92 (0.87–0.97) |
| Axillary surgery | ||||
| SNB only | 4016 | (45) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| ALND | 4362 | (49) | 1.06 (1.01–1.11) | 0.83 (0.79–0.88) |
| None/missing | 492 | (6) | ||
| ER status | ||||
| ER+ | 7409 | (84) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| ER− | 1334 | (15) | 1.11 (1.01–1.21) | 0.71 (0.65–0.78) |
| Missing | 127 | (1) | ||
| Age at diagnosis | ||||
| < 45 | 1631 | (18) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| 45–49 | 1583 | (18) | 0.90 (0.85–0.96) | 1.08 (1.02–1.15) |
| 50–54 | 1655 | (19) | 0.93 (0.88–0.99) | 1.11 (1.05–1.18) |
| 55–59 | 1779 | (20) | 0.91 (0.85–0.96) | 1.13 (1.06–1.19) |
| 60–64 | 2222 | (25) | 0.60 (0.56–0.64) | 1.26 (1.18–1.35) |
| Education | ||||
| Low (0–9 year) | 962 | (11) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| Middle (10–12 year) | 3760 | (42) | 1.20 (1.12–1.28) | 1.10 (1.02–1.18) |
| High (> 12 year) | 4088 | (46) | 1.14 (1.06–1.22) | 1.09 (1.02–1.17) |
| Missing | 60 | (1) | ||
| Prior sick leave | ||||
| No | 7859 | (89) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| Yes | 1011 | (11) | 1.56 (1.48–1.65) | 0.76 (0.72–0.80) |
| Region of residency | ||||
| Stockholm-Gotland | 4233 | (48) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| Uppsala-Örebro | 3402 | (38) | 1.14 (1.09–1.19) | 1.25 (1.20–1.31) |
| Northern regions | 1235 | (14) | 1.21 (1.15–1.28) | 0.90 (0.85–0.96) |
| Year of diagnosis | ||||
| 2005–2008 | 3929 | (44) | 1 (Ref.) | 1 (Ref.) |
| 2009–2012 | 4941 | (56) | 0.94 (0.90–0.98) | 1.20 (1.15–1.25) |
A higher hazard ratio for sick leave means a higher rate of sick leave, whereas a higher hazard ratio for return to work means a higher rate of return to work
ALND axillary lymph node dissection, BCS breast-conserving surgery, ER estrogen receptor, RT radiotherapy, SNB sentinel node biopsy
aHazard ratios were adjusted for chemotherapy, radiotherapy/surgery, endocrine therapy, tumor size, lymph node involvement, axillary lymph node dissection, ER status, age at diagnosis, level of education, prior sick leave, region of residency, and calendar year of diagnosis. The underlying time-scale was time since diagnosis (the clock-reset approach gave similar estimates)
bNot included in the analysis because of small sample size
cInitiation of endocrine therapy