RKI analysis finds income disparities in return to work after cancer rehabilitation

An observational analysis by Robert Koch Institute researchers examined return to employment after cancer rehabilitation using German pension insurance data from 2014–2021. Reported in the Journal of Health Monitoring, the study assessed educational attainment, occupational skill requirements and income before rehabilitation. Successful return to work was defined as employment for at least 50% of weekly working hours 24 months after rehabilitation.

Overall, 67.2% of people with cancer met this return-to-work criterion. People with lower incomes returned less frequently than those with higher incomes. The RKI announcement does not provide the sample size, income-specific return rates or adjusted effect estimates.

The researchers described a double disadvantage for socioeconomically disadvantaged patients: lower chances of returning to employment and potentially greater consequences of non-employment, including income losses, reduced earning capacity and loss of social roles. These findings highlight socioeconomic circumstances as relevant to post-rehabilitation vocational support. However, the observational analysis does not establish causality, and the announcement provides insufficient methodological detail to assess confounding or applicability beyond the population studied.