Employment status and occupational positions of childhood cancer survivors from Denmark, Finland and Sweden: A Nordic register-based cohort study from the SALiCCS research programme

BACKGROUND: A childhood cancer diagnosis and late effects of treatment may affect survivors’ possibilities of employment or highly skilled occupations later in life. In this study, we compared the employment and occupational status of childhood cancer survivors with population comparisons and siblings. METHODS: In a cohort study based on Nordic registers, we identified 10 461 survivors of childhood cancer diagnosed before age 20 years in Denmark, Finland and Sweden since 1971. Survivors were compared with 48 928 population comparisons matched to survivors by age, sex and geographical region and 12 605 siblings of survivors. Annual outcome information on employment, unemployment, health-related unemployment and occupational position was obtained from the statistical institutes between 1980-2017 and assessed in multivariate logistic regression analyses from age 30 onwards. FINDINGS: By 30 years of age, 9.2% (95% CI, 8.6-9.9%) of survivors were unemployed for health reasons. Childhood cancer survivors had considerably higher odds of health-related unemployment at ages 30, 40 and 50 than population comparisons (OR(age30), 2.57; 95% CI, 2.35-2.81) and siblings (OR(age30), 2.50; 95% CI, 2.15-2.90). We observed no large difference in unemployment unrelated to health or in occupational position. Health-related unemployment was particularly pronounced among survivors of central nervous system tumours and survivors diagnosed below 15 years of age. INTERPRETATION: Survivors at risk of health-related unemployment should be offered comprehensive survivorship care and interventions for obtaining and maintaining suitable employment. FUNDING: NordForsk [76111], the Danish Childhood Cancer Foundation [2016-0293], Aarhus University [43239402], the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation [PR2020-0130] and [OB2019-0003], Tømrermester Jørgen Holm og Hustru Elisa F. Hansens Mindelegat [20088] and the Swiss National Science Foundation to LM [P2LUP3_175288].