Behavioral determinants of employment status in cancer patients

Some 40 years after the first study on the return to work of cancer patients was conducted, we are still studying the relation between cancer, work, and the patient. The focus now is how to stay employed, following return to work. In the first section of this chapter, a summary is given of what we do know with respect to the three parties - cancer, work, and the person. In the second section, the focus shifts to the person, and specifically to behavioral determinants: can psychological and/or behavioral theories be applied to the problem of cancer and return to work or functioning at work? The final section discusses the interventions: how is the research knowledge translated to the practice level, how well do current interventions address the behavioral component, and what we know about the effectiveness of these interventions?.