Cancer patient survivors who return to the workforce after their diagnosis earn less than those who are cancer-free, a new StatsCan study shows.

The study looked at the three-year period following a diagnosis to measure how a survivor's total annual earning was affected by their cancer. It found that those who returned to work in the year after their diagnosis earned between 9.7 and 10.6 per cent less than comparable individuals without the disease.

Centres like Wellspring Cancer Support Network in Oakville, Ont. say the biggest surprise their members face is the financial hit that comes with a cancer diagnosis.

"There are waits. There are different definitions of disability. Fifty per cent of people who apply for Canada Pension are not accepted to the program," Wellspring program development manager Pamela Bowes told CTV Toronto.

"They are not seen as being disabled enough to qualify."

Toronto resident and leukemia survivor Lisa Shamai had to step away from the catering company she'd run for 28 years, and was hit hard financially by not being able to work during her intensive treatment.

"Whoever expects at 55 that you can't work for two years? It was just a big shock," she said Tuesday.

As a business owner, Shamai doesn't qualify for all income replacement plans, and with two children, she said money is tight.

There is hope for Canadians like Shamai, however, according to the StatsCan study.

In the years following a cancer diagnosis, the negative effect cancer had on a patient's earning potential decreased. In the second year after diagnosis, patients earned between 5.5 and 6.6 per cent less, and in the third year, they earned 3.9 to 5.4 per cent less.

The study compared cancer survivors aged 25-61, who were diagnosed with cancer for the first time between 1992 and 2000. They were compared to a group with similar characteristics, but were never diagnosed with cancer.

The study also looked at the likelihood of working post-diagnosis:

  • Patients were 3.0 percentage points less likely to work in the first year following their diagnosis
  • Patients were 3.7 percentage points less likely to work in the second year
  • Patients were 4.8 percentage points less likely to work in the third year

A comparison between patients diagnosed with a low-survival-rate type of cancer and the control group was also conducted. It found that that these patients were 11 percentage points less likely to return to work in the first year following their diagnosis. Those with diagnosed with a high-survival-rate type of cancer, however, were only 2 percentage points less likely to return to work in the year after.

The StatsCan study drew from a number of sources including the 1991 Census, the Canadian Cancer Registry, the Vital Statistics Registry and personal income tax records.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Ashley Rowe