For this year’s Cancer Control Month, take control of the cancer narrative by amplifying survivors’ voices in the workplace and empowering others to act. 

Since 1938, April has been officially recognized as Cancer Control Month in the United States—a national campaign dedicated to raising public awareness about cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, with the overarching goal of reducing the nation’s cancer burden. 

In 2024 alone, an estimated 2 million people were diagnosed with cancer, while one in every 19 people in the United States is actively living with the disease. With cases expected to rise by as much as 77 percent in the coming decades, it’s clear that action must be taken to curb the devastating impact cancer can have across communities, families, and workplaces—and to challenge these predictions as much as possible. 

Because one thing is crucial to remember: These are predictions, not guarantees. In truth, up to 50 percent of all cancer cases are preventable, through the adoption of healthy habits and early screenings.  

By raising individuals’ awareness about what they can do to monitor and minimize their cancer risk—and empowering them to act on that knowledge by attending routine screenings, scheduling an appointment with their doctor at the first sign of trouble, and prioritizing a healthy work-life balance to ensure they can stay on top of their health needs—key community players like employers can do their part in creating cancer-conscious communities and lessening the overall impact of cancer in people’s lives. 

How to do this? 

While workshops, pamphlets, posters, and a few intranet posts here and there no doubt play a huge role in increasing employees’ understanding of cancer and their own risk of the disease, arguably nothing is more powerful than direct visibility. That said, one of the best control methods is also one of the best response methods; that is, uplifting survivors to ensure they are well-represented, well-adjusted, and well-treated in the workplace. 

When employees are exposed to colleagues who have gone through their own journey with cancer, they are placed in a position where they are more likely to ask questions, to think more deeply about the reality of the disease and their own risk, and to take proactive steps to protect themselves from illness.  

More importantly, however, when employees bear witness to the successful, fulfilling lives that are led by colleagues with or beyond cancer, they are reassured that a similar fate may await them in the event of a diagnosis—dismantling the stigma surrounding the disease, once again encouraging timely action, and reducing the social, financial, and professional burden by empowering survivors to return to work and reclaim their lives after treatment.  

Survivors’ Role in Advancing the Fight Against Cancer 

A cancer-inclusive workplace is a cancer-conscious workplace is a cancer-safe workplace.  

By creating an environment conducive and accommodative to the needs of cancer survivors, employers empower them to return to work and resume their professional lives with confidence—helping them to defy the odds of unemployment, early retirement, or job insecurity that trends indicate are too often the norm for survivors following treatment. In doing so, employers not only mitigate the enduring impact cancer has on their lives, but also create a domino effect wherein survivors’ presence, their voice, and their stories of strength and resilience inspire others to act—no longer scared into inaction or ignorance. 

As part of this domino effect of helping more survivors return to work, employees are compelled to organically—and thus, more meaningfully—think about and discuss the topic of cancer with their peers at work, resulting not just in greater awareness but sustained behavioral change. Employees no longer view cancer as some distant threat, but as something in their midst that could easily happen to them. Moreover, with more survivors in the workplace, they no longer perceive cancer as a death sentence—whether literally or at least in terms of their careers—but are instead empowered to inquire about their own risks and take steps to minimize the dangers cancer poses to their own lives—confident in their ability to handle a diagnosis and fight the disease. 

Because the truth is, while cancer poses a considerable risk to one’s health and wellbeing, so, too, does the fear of it. A growing body of research highlights the devastating impact the fear of cancer often has on a person’s willingness to get undergo screening, voice concerns to their doctor, or even to begin treatment after a diagnosis.  

A recent study published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, for instance, found that nearly half (47 percent) of respondents diagnosed with lung cancer experienced delays in follow-up—the median delay being an astonishing three and a half months—due to feelings of despair, hopelessness, or doubt about the effectiveness of treatment. Even more concerning, studies have found that one in three people would avoid going to the doctor if they suspected they had cancer, driven by the fear of being diagnosed and the false belief that cancer is incurable.  

To reiterate: A third of people who suspect they might have cancer delay seeking medical attention simply to avoid having their fears confirmed.  

It’s this avoidance that, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, leads to worse outcomes for patients. By delaying medical attention, what may have been a treatable early-stage case progresses to a more advanced stage, limiting treatment options and rendering the disease far more difficult to manage. This is especially true for cancers like colorectal (CRC) and breast cancer—two of the fastest-growing cancers in the world today—that can, in fact, be prevented (in the case of CRC) or easily treated (the 5-year survival rate for stage 1 breast cancer is 99 percent) if detected early.  

Nevertheless, findings show that nearly seven in 10 US adults are behind on at least one cancer screening—some unaware of their need to receive one or the benefits to be gained from doing so, with many others simply too afraid of the consequences to pursue one. But as findings from the Colorectal Cancer Alliance suggest, if more Americans were familiar with the preventive and life-saving benefits of early detection—if they understood that cancer is not, in fact, a lost cause, but a common and increasingly survivable disease—more would be inspired to act. 

That said, by amplifying survivors’ voices and presence in the workplace—by providing them with a platform on which to share their stories and serve as a living example that life does go on after cancer—employers can foster a supportive, inclusive environment that not only facilitates survivors’ recovery but that normalizes the experience of cancer and allays fears that cancer will have a negative impact on their careers—solving the issue of avoidance, encouraging early detection, and resulting in better outcomes for all.  

Uplifting Survivors in the Workplace with Cancer Care Compass 

When it comes to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for cancer survivors in the workplace, perhaps no other moment is more important than their initial return to work. While around 70 percent of survivors return to work within the first-year post-diagnosis, only half remain employed at the five-year mark—indicating that more must be done to facilitate survivors’ successful return alongside their full recovery. 

Recognizing the increasing prevalence of cancer in the workplace and the growing demand for specialized support, Workplace Options has proudly launched Cancer Care Compass, the first global, inclusive program designed to provide unparalleled support for survivors and the managers guiding their return to work. Tailored to address the practical and emotional challenges that can arise throughout the reintegration process, the program combines holistic support for employees with dedicated manager support to ensure both can move forward together with confidence. 

At the heart of the program are the Coordinators of Occupational Reintegration and Adaptation (CORAT), who provide ongoing coaching and counseling support to employees to help them navigate the return to life and work after cancer—working with them to develop personalized recovery plans that effectively address their individual needs. At the employee’s request, the CORAT is also able to conduct ongoing consultations with managers, equipping them with best practices for key concerns such as reaching a team agreement, adapting the job position, and recognizing signs of distress—ensuring a seamless transition that prioritizes both survivors’ recovery and professional success.  

All told, key features of the program include: 

• Personalized recovery plans: The CORAT collaborates with employees to create a customized program tailored to their individual return and recovery, providing holistic support for their physical, psychological, and professional wellbeing.  

• Fortified emotional and professional resilience for employees: Emotional support fosters stress resilience, positive coping strategies, and adaptability in returning employees.  

• Comprehensive resources and support for managers: Managers receive a specialized toolkit and expert consultations offering guidance and best practices for standard return-to-work processes and creating an effective reintegration plan.  

• Enhanced organizational commitment to employee wellbeing: Program participation reflects employers’ dedication to supporting employees’ holistic wellbeing and promoting an inclusive workplace.    

Control the Story, Control the Impact 

With Cancer Care Compass, employers ensure survivors have the visibility needed to control the cancer narrative and to prove that there is still a meaningful, fulfilling, and successful life to be had in the face or aftermath of the disease.  

When survivors are empowered to return to work and reclaim their lives with confidence, they inspire others to believe this could be their path, too, should they ever receive a diagnosis. Such narratives are essential in the face of rampant stigma that continues to portray all cancer as a death sentence.  

Of course, cancer continues to claim millions of lives around the world each year—impacting millions more friends, families, and loved ones who are left behind to grieve. Yet, advancements in early detection and treatment continue to save more people from the most severe outcomes of the disease, and have the potential to save countless others so long as people remain proactive: staying informed about their risk, keeping up with screenings, discussing concerning symptoms with their doctor, and seeking timely treatment.  

By championing survivors in the workplace, employers send a powerful message that cancer is not the end of the story, but merely a chapter to be endured with support, resilience, and hope. When employees witness firsthand the challenges survivors can overcome, the strength they can demonstrate, and the successes they can achieve, they are inspired to confront their own fears of the disease and take a more proactive, health-conscious approach to cancer prevention and detection—helping to build more cancer-conscious—and thus, more cancer-safe—communities for all.  

Ready to lead the charge for this year’s Cancer Control Month and build a supportive workplace that protects employees from the sweeping effects of cancer? Contact us today to learn more about our scope of services and how Return to Work: Cancer Care Compass facilitates survivors’ seamless return to work and puts them on the path to healing and balance, so they can thrive.