Cancer invades more than bodies.

It spreads through families. And it makes its way into the workplace.

"Cancer is an extremely personal illness and we have to take an individual approach as to how we deal with it," says Tom Cloud, CEO of United Electric Supply Co., based in New Castle.

Increasingly, company leaders, business groups and health advocates are developing strategies to support people with cancer in the workplace, as well as raise awareness and promote early detection.

At United Electric, an employee-owned company, Cloud thinks of health challenges as an unfortunate reality of doing business. Currently, six of 314 employees are undergoing treatment for cancer.

"Those are the ones who have chosen to disclose," he says. "Under HPPA laws, there could be others we don't know about because they haven't chosen to disclose."

United Electric supports worker health by subscribing to a Blue Cross program that stresses preventive care. The company holds health fairs and operates a fitness center. But cancer knows no boundaries.

"Some of our employees who have had cancer looked like the fittest people here," says Cloud, whose daughter is a researcher at the renowned Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

A charter member of Cancer Care Connection, the company offers coaching services for employees under going treatment and their families, helping them to navigate what often is a complex maze of obstacles and options.

Employees can work when they are up to it - or take time off if they aren't feeling well.

"People who are under going chemotherapy usually want to work when they can and employers have to be flexible in terms of scheduling and dealing with families," Cloud says. "There's no great answer, except to make sure our customer obligations are covered."

He acknowledges it can be more difficult to make operations run smoothly when managers aren't able to schedule workers for extended periods of time. But Cloud says it's the company's responsibility to treat employees as members of an extended family.

"Whether they come back or not we want them to know they have a great company supporting them," he says.

The Wellness Community of Delaware is educating workers on cancer testing, treatment and prevention through company health fairs at large companies, such as AIG Inc., says Marsha Mah, director of marketing. Recently, the non-profit organization set up a booth at Agilent Technologies in Wilmington.

"There are 800 employees there," Mah says. "That's a great opportunity for us to reach a lot of people in a short amount of time."

Some companies are focusing on specific types of cancer, such as breast cancer, by advocating monthly self exams and annual mammograms.

"That makes sense for companies that employ a significant number of women over 40, because they are at the greatest risk," she says. "With each year that passes, there are more women in that age group in the workplace."

Because Americans are living longer, it is estimated that as much as 40 percent of the current population will receive a cancer diagnosis at some time. That risk is slightly elevated in Delaware, which has a cancer rate 5.3 percent higher than the national average. In 2004, 503.5 of every 100,000 First State residents were diagnosed with cancer, according to the Department of Health and Social Services.

The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce has been a driving force in educating employers on such topics as employment law, as well as strategies to better help workers who are undergoing treatment. The concept was the brainchild of Linda Drake, CEO of TCIM Services of Wilmington, a provider of call center services, and James Randall, president of Caldwell Staffing Services in Wilmington.

"They are both cancer survivors," says Jeanne Mell, the chamber's executive vice president of communications. "They thought it was important to find ways to help employers to deal with cancer in the workplace."

The result is Advocates of Hope, the chamber's drive to raise cancer awareness in the business community.

"It's an important message," Mell says. "Cancer takes a tremendous financial and emotional toll in the workplace."

Advocates of Hope lectures in each county also are sponsored by a health care provider. In New Castle County, it's the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center at Christiana Care, the largest provider on oncology care in the state. Bayhealth Medical Center is the sponsor in Kent County. Sussex County sponsors are the Tunnell Cancer Center at Beebe Medical Center and LLuminari Inc., a privately held lifestyle and health media company.

Speakers have included: Hamilton Jordan, presidential adviser and chief of staff for Jimmy Carter, who is a triple survivor, having overcome nonhodgkins lymphoma, prostate cancer and melanoma; Gary Papa, Channel 6 sports director and a prostate cancer survivor, and Dr. Susan Love, who launched a breast cancer research and advocacy foundation.

Vince Papale, who made the Eagles as a 31-year-old walk-on and inspired the film Invincible, will speak in Kent County on Oct. 31. He is a colon cancer survivor.

HR professionals also can receive general credit hours for recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute by attending the series, with each session approved for 1.75 credit hours.

Initial feedback indicates more businesses are taking a pro-active approach to helping workers to achieve healthy lifestyles. Mell says more than 20 chamber members have reported efforts such as smoking cessation programs, lunch-and-learn informational sessions and health fairs.