DESCRIPTION: We propose a longitudinal study of cancer patients' and their
spouses' abilities to remain in the work force after a cancer diagnosis. Very
little is known about the abilities of these individuals to restore their lives
after they mounted an initial effort to survive treatment. We will collect data
from patients at four time points: diagnosis, 4-6 months after diagnosis, and
12 and 18 months post-diagnosis. By labor market decisions, we mean changes in
patients' and spouses' employment status, decisions to remain in jobs, and
changes in hours worked. We will compare our study groups' labor market
decisions and outcomes to a cohort of similar individuals in the Current
Population Survey (CPS) to ensure that the changes we observe in the labor
market decisions in the cancer population are not due to changes in the economy
or changes attributable to aging. Specifically, our aims are to: 1) Determine
if patients diagnosed with cancer increase or decrease labor market
participation; 2) For patients who are married, examine if their spouses
increase or decrease their labor market participation; 3) Determine if changes
in employment status lead to consequences such as changes in income and health
insurance coverage; and 4) Estimate the productivity costs of cancer and its
treatment for patients and their spouses that can be used in future studies of
cost-effectiveness comparing various cancer therapies.
We address the labor market effects of cancer and its treatment in an important
way -- we hypothesize that the demand for health insurance is a primary
motivator to remain in the work force. Our study will provide a unique, rich
data set that models the labor market experience of patients and their spouses.
These data will be the most comprehensive data available on the employment and
economic experience of survivors and their spouses and can 1) be used to inform
public policy and 2) provide estimates of productivity losses for future
studies of cost-effectiveness of screening and treatment.
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