Work and Illness: the Social Repercussions of the Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract

Introduction: This is an approach on the effects of the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment process,  considering the impacts on the social life of individuals coming from their insertion in the world of work. Objective: To problematize the social repercussions of the treatment of ALL, identifying how the form of insertion in the labor market (formal or informal) impacts on the treatment process within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Method: This is a qualitative research with critical-reflexive analysis based on the theoretical referential of historical-dialectical materialism. The research was conducted through a semi structured interview script applied to nine adult treatment patients considered active for the labor market. Results: The profile of the study participants was identified based on sociodemographic data that reflect a predominance of young people in situations of financial restraint and family dependency in different areas of  life. Based on the analysis of the interviews, it was possible to elucidate the worker status of the individuals during the oncological treatment process and the impacts of the precarious insertion in the labor market in the current political, economic and social conjuncture that have been shaping the fragmentation of  public policies. Conclusion: It was possible to understand how the crescents and even the most recent changes in the sociotechnical division of labor has contributed to the widening of existing social disparities and, above all, to the extent to which such a context takes on a singular and alarming dimension in the context of cancer treatment.