Cancer Patients Struggle With Disease, Then Discrimination

AN FRANCISCO — Job discrimination and problems with family and friends pose serious obstacles for millions of Americans who have survived cancer, according to experts speaking at an American Cancer Society conference.

“We need to deal with the fear of the disease (and) the frustrations cancer patients feel in trying to cope with the disease,” said Dr. John R. Seffrin, chairman of the department of applied health science at Indiana University.

“Many are saying, ‘Now that I’ve mustered the courage to deal with disease, I find that (it is) even more difficult is to deal with my peers, my family, my community after having survived the disease,’ ” he said.

Seffrin was one of 40 speakers at the recent fifth National Conference on Human Values and Cancer.

Among the topics at the conference are the social consequences of cancer, the effects of surviving cancer and its treatment and the psychosocial issues related to survival.

More than 5 million living Americans have been diagnosed as having cancer, and more than 3 million are considered cured with no symptoms for at least five years, according to the American Cancer Society. Nearly a million new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year.

Discrimination in the workplace against cancer survivors is “very pervasive,” said Joanne Frankfurt of the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco.

“There are more Americans who are surviving cancer and want to reintegrate themselves in the work force and are clearly capable, qualified workers,” Frankfurt said. “They want to be given a chance. The problem is they aren’t often being given a chance due to a number of reasons.”

Some employers are afraid of increased cost because of high insurance rates, less productivity and absenteeism, she said.

“However, statistics show that cancer survivors and non-cancer (workers) are the same in their productivity rates and absenteeism,” she said. “We’re seeing more discrimination, but it’s frankly not justified.”

Studies have shown that between 25% and 45% of all cancer survivors experience some form of adverse reaction on the job.