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Factors associated with returning to work and work ability of colorectal cancer survivors

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Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this current study was to describe the status of returning to work and work ability of colorectal cancer survivors and identify the key factors associated with returning to work and work ability of Chinese colorectal cancer patients.

Methods

A cross-sectional observational study was performed in 212 colorectal cancer survivors who have worked before their colorectal cancer diagnosis. We evaluated patient’s return to work (Yes/No), work ability, and factors by questionnaires of the Work Ability Index (WAI), M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory for Gastrointestinal (MDASI-GI), and the Self-Report Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS‐SR). Logistic regression analysis and linear regression were used to find the potential predictors with returning to work and work ability.

Results

Participants mostly 145 have returned to work (68.4%). Work ability and psychosocial adjustment of colorectal cancer survivors were at a moderate level. After completing treatment, the patient still had many symptoms, and these symptoms were distress to live. In the two models, survivors with higher family monthly income per capita and lower psychosocial adjustment scores were more likely to have higher work ability and return to work. Survivors with lower symptom distress were more likely to have higher work ability (r =  − 0.038, p = 0.010). Survivors with higher work ability were more likely to return to work (OR = 1.193, 95% CI = (1.116,1.274)).

Conclusion

This study confirmed that symptom distress and psychosocial adjustment were significantly associated with colorectal cancer survivors’ returning to work and work ability, which should be considered in future intervention research.

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Availability of data and material

The data and material that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Code availability

N/A.

Abbreviations

RTW:

Return to work

CRC:

Colorectal cancer

WA:

Work ability

OR:

Odds ratio

CI:

Confidence interval

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participants for their time. We are also thankful to the cancer center for helping us to recruit colorectal cancer survivors. We are also thankful to the Guangdong Provincial Department of Finance for the fund support.

Funding

This study was supported by Guangdong Provincial Department of Finance [grant number: 20160910].

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, Sun Yat-Sen University, 74, Zhongshan 2nd Rd, Guangzhou, 510080, China

    Yiheng Zhang, Mengyao Zhu, Ya Meng, Fulin Pu & Meifen Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China

    Xiaodan Wu

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  1. Yiheng Zhang
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Yiheng Zhang, Mengyao Zhu, Xiaodan Wu, Ya Meng, and Fulin Pu. Data analysis and the first draft of the manuscript were performed and written by Yiheng Zhang and Mengyao Zhu, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Meifen Zhang.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ethical approval was granted by the Medical Ethical Committee of a cancer center affiliated with a university in Guangdong Province, China.

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Yiheng Zhang and Mengyao Zhu should be considered joint first authors.

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Zhang, Y., Zhu, M., Wu, X. et al. Factors associated with returning to work and work ability of colorectal cancer survivors. Support Care Cancer 30, 2349–2357 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06638-3

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