????不久之前，“癌癥”這個(gè)詞在朋友中間、家里，當(dāng)然還有辦公室還是一種禁忌。不管是出于迷信、恐懼、困惑，還是尊重，關(guān)于癌癥的討論大部分是在竊竊私語中完成的。

????如今，隨著癌癥治愈率不斷攀升，人們?cè)诖_診結(jié)果出來后，他們所做的決定——既有私人方面也有職業(yè)方面——都發(fā)生了顯著的變化。突然之間，對(duì)很多（但并非所有）人來說，問題不再是“我怎么永久地停止工作？”相反，問題變成了，“我要離開多久？”或者是，“我究竟要不要停止工作？”

????根據(jù)非營利機(jī)構(gòu)癌癥與職業(yè)組織（Cancer and Careers）一項(xiàng)最新的調(diào)查，員工在癌癥確診后繼續(xù)工作已經(jīng)變得相當(dāng)普遍。接受調(diào)查的癌癥幸存者中：有四分之一的人表示，他們繼續(xù)工作是為了保住自己的健康保險(xiǎn)；一半的人表示，他們繼續(xù)工作是為了讓事情“盡可能維持現(xiàn)狀”；而三分之二的受訪者聲稱，他們感覺自己的狀態(tài)足夠勝任繼續(xù)工作。這項(xiàng)由哈里斯互動(dòng)公司（Harris Interactive）進(jìn)行的調(diào)查詢問了400名罹患癌癥的成年人，他們都在確診后選擇繼續(xù)工作。

????“工作給了他們一個(gè)在癌癥之外的喘息之地，”凱特?斯維尼。她是癌癥與職業(yè)組織的執(zhí)行理事，這家非營利機(jī)構(gòu)向員工提供資源支持。

????根據(jù)癌癥與職業(yè)組織的調(diào)查：大約45%的員工表示，他們?cè)诖_診后不會(huì)離職，不會(huì)中斷工作；而31%的人聲稱會(huì)歇工幾周到5個(gè)月的時(shí)間。

????隨著越來越多的員工選擇繼續(xù)工作，越來越多的雇主現(xiàn)在必須應(yīng)對(duì)一個(gè)相對(duì)較新的局面。人力資源顧問瑪格麗特?斯彭斯表示，她見過公司在員工確診為癌癥后做出的各種各樣的反應(yīng)。她說，員工和公司非常容易感到陷入困境。斯彭斯說，“雇主感到進(jìn)退兩難，”尤其是因?yàn)樗麄儾⒉豢偸侨媪私鈫T工的健康狀況。

????一年前，斯彭斯的丈夫被確診罹患一種罕見的癌癥，她近距離地體會(huì)到了癌癥與職業(yè)的難題。這對(duì)夫婦曾考慮暫時(shí)移居到紐約或德克薩斯州以更方便地接受高質(zhì)量的治療，但他們排除了這個(gè)選項(xiàng)，原因是相關(guān)費(fèi)用的問題。

????“他需要繼續(xù)工作，”斯彭斯說。“這是唯一的一件能夠讓他（在接受一輪輪放療間隙跟這個(gè)世界）保持聯(lián)系的事情。”

????根據(jù)美國癌癥協(xié)會(huì)（American Cancer Society）提供的數(shù)據(jù)，2012年美國有1,370萬人罹患癌癥，這個(gè)數(shù)字到2022年預(yù)計(jì)將增長至1,780萬人。在癌癥幸存者中，三分之一的女性和四分之一的男性年齡在60歲以下，而25%的人年齡在60至69歲之間。

????癌癥并不會(huì)給人們的職業(yè)生涯造成嚴(yán)重傷害。根據(jù)賓夕法尼亞州立大學(xué)（Penn State）的研究，只有4%至5%的癌癥幸存者不大可能繼續(xù)工作，或者比沒有癌癥病史的同齡成年人少工作一半時(shí)間。另外，或許并不讓人感到意外的是，癌癥復(fù)發(fā)患者的工作時(shí)間更短，而休假時(shí)間更長。

????斯維尼表示，比之十年前，如今的員工更愿意跟同事和老板分享自己詳細(xì)的病情。她說，十年之前，很多人在工作時(shí)對(duì)自己罹患癌癥諱莫如深。

????Not long ago, the word "cancer" was off-limits, among friends, at home, and certainly at the office. Whether it was out of superstition, fear, confusion, or respect, most talk about the disease was done in hushed tones.

????Today, as the survival rate climbs, the decisions people make after diagnosis -- both personal and professional -- have evolved significantly. Suddenly, for many (but not all), the question is not, "How do I leave work for good?" Instead, it's "How long do I take off?" or "Do I have to take off at all?"

????Working after a cancer diagnosis has become fairly common, according to a new survey conducted by the nonprofit group Cancer and Careers. One in four people with cancer who were surveyed said they continued working to keep their health insurance. Twice as many said they worked to keep things "as normal as possible." And two-thirds who were surveyed claimed they felt well enough to stay on the job. The Harris Interactive survey queried 400 adults diagnosed with cancer who were working.

????"Work provides them a respite from cancer-land," said Kate Sweeney, executive director of Cancer and Careers, a nonprofit that offers resources to workers.

????Some 45% of workers said they took no time off after their diagnosis and kept working, while 31% said they took anywhere between a few weeks to five months off, according to Cancer and Careers' survey.

????As more employees choose to continue working, more employers must grapple with relatively new territory. HR consultant Margaret Spence says she has seen all manner of responses from companies with workers diagnosed with cancer. Spence says it's easy for workers and firms to feel trapped. "Employers are caught between a rock and a hard place," especially since they don't always have a complete picture of the worker's health, she said.

????A year ago, Spence's husband was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer -- and she got to experience the cancer-career conundrum up close. The couple considered relocating temporarily to New York or Texas to be closer to high-quality treatment but ruled that out because of the associated costs.

????"He needed to keep working," Spence said. "It was the one thing that kept him connected" to the world amid rounds of radiation.

????An estimated 13.7 million people have had cancer and were living in the U.S. in 2012, and that's expected to grow to 17.8 million by 2022, according to the American Cancer Society. About one-third of female cancer survivors and one-quarter of male survivors are under 60 years old, while another 25% are 60 to 69.

????Cancer does take a toll on people's careers. Survivors are 4-5% less likely to hold jobs and work up to four hours less than similarly aged adults without a history of cancer, according to research from Penn State. And, perhaps without surprise, those who suffer from recurrences of cancer work less and take longer breaks from work.

????Workers today are more willing to share the details of their disease with coworkers and bosses than they were 10 years ago, Sweeney said. A decade ago, many people kept their cancer a secret at work, she claims.