Recruiting

Testing the Effectiveness of a Work Rehabilitation Intervention for Women with Breast Cancer

ClinicalTrials.gov IDNCT06723899

PhaseNA

Enrollment248

SponsorUniversity of Dublin, Trinity College

Age18 Years

SexFEMALE

I'm interested View official listing

Conditions studied

Breast Cancer

About this study

Women with breast cancer make up a significant proportion of cancer survivors, with more than 43,750 women living with breast cancer in Ireland. However, many women report physical and psychological health difficulties that interfere with their ability to return to work. In Ireland, and internationally, these difficulties are being increasingly recognised, with recent research identifying gaps in rehabilitation services to prepare women with breast cancer to return to work. Collaborating with women with breast cancer, and those who provide health and supportive services to individuals living with cancer in Ireland, an online self-management intervention, CanWork, was developed. CanWork aims to support women with breast cancer to manage the process of returning to work and learn strategies to manage post-treatment health-related difficulties. CanWork also provides information on workplace entitlements. This intervention was trialled with women with breast cancer in 2021, who reported that the programme gave them confidence to return to work and that the content was relevant. This study will include a larger group of women with breast cancer to determine if CanWork is effective in supporting return to work. To do this, 248 women with breast cancer will be included in the study, half of whom will receive CanWork and the results will be compared with women who do not receive the intervention. Having a programme that is financially viable is important and therefore the costs involved in running and attending the intervention will also be calculated. Should this study demonstrate that CanWork is effective in supporting women with breast cancer to return to work, the study team will collaborate with cancer services in Ireland to make the programme available nationally.

Interventions

Other: CanWork — CanWork is an online, occupational therapy intervention to develop knowledge and skills to manage cancer-related symptoms that interfere with return to work. It consists of five, 90-minute group-based modules and an individual meeting between the occupational therapist facilitator and each participant. Each of the five-week group-based modules consists of two components: (i) education and peer-led discussion of cancer-related symptom management and supports available to manage difficulties in work and (ii) goal setting to facilitate application of knowledge and skills to work-related activities. Weekly topics include managing fatigue in work, understanding cancer-related cognitive impairments, strategies for managing physical and mental health in work and effective communication with employers and colleagues. The individual meeting between each participant and the occupational therapist is focused on designing a tailored return to work plan for each participant.

Primary outcomes

Return to work: Yes/No. (From enrolment to 12-months following enrolment)
Return to Work Self-efficacy (RTW-SE) questionnaire (From enrolment to 12-months following enrolment)

Eligibility information

Inclusion Criteria: * Women with confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer * Women with breast cancer who were in paid employment prior to their cancer diagnosis * Women with breast cancer who have completed adjuvant oncology treatment (excluding hormone therapy, targeted and biological therapies) within the last 12 months * Women with breast cancer who have capacity to participate in a six-week online occupational therapy intervention Exclusion Criteria: * Women with metastatic breast cancer * Women with breast cancer who were not in paid employment prior to their cancer diagnosis * Women with breast cancer who have decided not to return to work following completion of cancer treatment * Women with breast cancer who have co-morbidity that would interfere with capacity to participate in a six-week online occupational therapy intervention

Study locations

Cancer Care West, Galway, Ireland
Solas Cancer Support Centre, Waterford, Ireland

Before you participate: Varda Clinical is an independent discovery tool, not the study sponsor or a medical provider. Eligibility can only be determined by the official study team. Discuss potential risks and benefits with a qualified healthcare professional.

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. Record last refreshed by Varda Clinical: 2026-09-27.