Getting or keeping a job is a problem for almost a third (28 per cent) of people with cancer, according to research.

The report for Macmillan Cancer Support, which surveyed 606 people with cancer and 550 carers for people with cancer, also showed that 10 per cent of carers have no choice but to give up working altogether.

Another study commissioned by Macmillan, which surveyed 942 cancer patients, found that those who continue to work while battling the disease find the physical effects of cancer the most difficult to cope with compared to non-working cancer sufferers (49 per cent to 39 per cent).

Joan Coyle, director of central services at Macmillan, said that it was key for employers to be “as flexible as they possibly can” when dealing with staff who have cancer.

She added that the way in which an employer deals with the issue is demonstrative of “organisational values and ethos”. Coyle explained that a positive approach would most likely result in substantial staff buy-in to an organisation.

In the latter piece of research, Macmillan found that of those who stopped working completely or were put on sick pay, 93 per cent faced extra costs because of the disease.