Cancer: still a long way to go in Italy and the EU for return to work after or during treatment

Brussels – Cancer and Europe: some progress, but still much to do. In the management of cancer patients in the workplace, there is still plenty of room for improvement, given the “lack of legislative national frameworks for job retention and/or re-integration specifically for cancer patients and survivors in many member countries.”. This is how the European Commission describes the situation in a study on cancer patients and the labor market, where Italy is no exception.

In contrast, the country makes a fine show of principles and intentions that are not translated into practice. In Italy, the community executive’s technical experts note, the National Oncology Plan 2023-2027 highlights the importance of return to work for cancer patients and survivors, as well as the need for measures that ensure flexibility to enable reintegration into the workplace, “although no specific interventions are outlined.”

There is definitely a political aspect to the matter. At the country level, everything related to cancer patients does not relate to a specific category. On the contrary, the commission’s study continues, in Italy, the relevant legal measures “are part of a wider employment legislative framework in Italy for persons with disabilities and employees suffering from a long-term illness,” which encompass cancer patients and their families. ” However, there is no nationwide mechanism in place specifically concerning measures aimed at job retention and return to work for cancer patients.”

Then there is the cultural question. Interviews collected in Italy revealed a fear of talking about the disease. Interviewees reported how the stigma (“and fear of potential repercussions,” according to the study) could mean that those with cancer do not wish to share information about their disease with their employer or colleagues or the measures or workplace accommodations they would need to be able to stay or return to work. This coincides with secondary data reporting that 50 percent of all people with cancer are afraid to tell their employers, especially in Italy and Bulgaria.

However, the study recognizes the merits of a country that, to date, is the only one in the European Union with cancer-specific legislation. Law 80/2006 provides an expedited procedure for establishing disability in cases of cancer. Italy also establishes a benchmark for the degree of disability for all cancer patients, defined based on the characteristics and severity of the disease.

However, the specific case of Italy is the reflection of a slow-moving EU. In Italy, as in the rest of Europe, there are still “some obstacles and challenges,” such as the need to “expand and strengthen national policies and regulations to include more cancer-specific measures,” reinforce surveillance and enforcement mechanisms, and further intensify awareness-raising efforts. 

“We have made significant progress in cancer survival rates, but many challenges remain in managing daily life with cancer,” summarizes Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides. Translated: surviving cannot be a burden. Therefore, “We need to break down the stigma that can affect people with this disease and protect the right to return to work, to retain employment, and to ensure that there is no discrimination.”