Colorectal cancer survivors’ ability to return to work: A latent profile analysis based on a cross-sectional survey

doi:10.4251/wjgo.125845

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World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology

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1948-5204

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

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Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.

World J Gastrointest Oncol. Dec 15, 2026; 18(12): 125845
Published online Dec 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.125845

Colorectal cancer survivors’ ability to return to work: A latent profile analysis based on a cross-sectional survey

Xiao-Fang Hong, Xue-Ping Wu, Ling-Nv Xie, Xiu-Yun Chen, Zi-Yan Hu

Xiao-Fang Hong, Xue-Ping Wu, Xiu-Yun Chen, Zi-Yan Hu, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou 310022, Zhejiang Province, China

Ling-Nv Xie, Department of Nursing, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou 310022, Zhejiang Province, China

Co-first authors: Xiao-Fang Hong and Xue-Ping Wu.

Author contributions: Hong XF and Wu XP were responsible for conceptualization, software, visualization, data curation, funding acquisition, and writing original draft as co-first authors; Xie LN was responsible for methodology, project administration, resources, and writing original draft; Chen XY was responsible for conceptualization, formal analysis, data curation, writing review and editing; Hu ZY was responsible for investigation, supervision, validation, and writing original draft; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.

AI contribution statement: The authors confirm that no generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used in the preparation of this manuscript.

Supported by the Medical Health Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Province, No. 2023KY064 and No. 2024KY810.

Institutional review board statement: Ethical approval was obtained from the Medical Ethics Committee of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (No. IRB-2021457).

Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.

STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.

Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and analyzed during the present study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Corresponding author: Ling-Nv Xie, Department of Nursing, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, No. 1 Banshan East Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou 310022, Zhejiang Province, China. xieln@zjcc.org.cn

Received: July 22, 2026
Revised: August 13, 2026
Accepted: October 13, 2026
Published online: December 15, 2026
Processing time: 111 Days and 13.6 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The rising incidence and improved survival of colorectal cancer (CRC) in China have highlighted return to work (RTW) challenges. However, the heterogeneity of work ability among survivors remains underexplored, prompting the use of latent profile analysis to identify distinct RTW ability classes and their associated factors for tailored rehabilitation.

AIM

To examine the possible categories and factors associated with CRC survivors’ ability to regain employment and offer theoretical support for enhancing their employment capability.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study recruited 261 CRC survivors from a tertiary hospital in Zhejiang Province via convenience sampling. Participants completed four questionnaires: (1) A general information form; (2) The Chinese version of the MDASI-GI; (3) The social impact scale; and (4) The work ability support scale. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of work ability, and multinomial logistic regression was applied to examine factors associated with subgroup membership.

RESULTS

The potential profile analysis results showed that the ability of CRC survivors to RTW can be divided into three categories: (1) High work ability (39.08%); (2) Moderate work ability (49.04%); and (3) Low work ability (11.88%). The results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the total symptom score, symptom distress, and social impact scale total score were correlated with the ability of CRC survivors to RTW (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed three potential patterns of returning to work among CRC survivors, challenging the current homogeneous assumption regarding postsurgery care. Linking symptom burden and stigma to different adaptation patterns provides a typological basis for developing personalized rehabilitation plans based on psychological, social, and functional heterogeneity beyond the disease stage. However, the universality of these findings is limited by the single-center convenience sampling and cross-sectional design. Moreover, owing to the relatively small sample size, more samples are needed to verify the research conclusions.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer survivors; Symptom burden; Social stigma; Work ability; Latent profile analysis; Cross-sectional study

Core Tip: Three latent work-ability classes were identified among colorectal cancer survivors. Symptom burden and stigma were key associated factors, highlighting the need for individualized rehabilitation.