Financial and work related impact of cancer in young adult (YA) survivors.

15 Background: YA survivors face challenges unique from those of survivors of childhood cancer or of older adults. The potential impact of cancer or its treatment upon employment and finances for YA survivors is unknown. Methods: Eligibility included diagnosis of malignancy between ages 18-39, 1-5 years from diagnosis and > 1 year from therapy completion. Participants (see Table) were randomly selected from tumor registries of 7 academic institutions; 875 (41% of attempted contacts) enrolled and completed online patient reported outcomes survey related to the effects of cancer/treatment on employment, finances, and cancer-related distress. Results: Overall 84% were employed sometime between cancer diagnosis and study enrollment. Of those, 76% took paid time off (40% 6 mo). Unpaid time off was required by 39% (37% 6 mo). Other impairments included inability to carry out physical (59%) or mental (55%) tasks required for their job, being less productive (67...