Identifying the heterogeneity of self-advocacy in patients with gynecological cancer: a latent class profile analysis

Q: What was the study aim regarding self-advocacy in gynecological cancer patients?

To explore self-advocacy in patients with gynecological cancer and evaluate heterogeneity among different subgroups.

Q: How were latent classes of self-advocacy determined?

Latent classes were identified using latent class profile analysis based on the subdomains of the Chinese Version of the Female Self-Advocacy in Cancer Survivorship Scale (FSACS).

Q: Which factors were associated with latent class membership?

Age and treatment methods were predictive factors for self-advocacy latent class grouping.

Sep 22, 2026

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Background Gynecological cancers impose a major global burden and severe physical and psychological distress, and self-advocacy may improve prognosis and quality of life. This study explored self-advocacy among patients with gynecological cancer and assessed heterogeneity across subgroups. Methods Cross-sectional analyses used baseline data from a longitudinal survey (N=155) in Fujian, China. Latent classes were identified using the FSACS latent class profile analysis, followed by multinomial logistic regression and correlation tests. Results Two classes emerged: low-level and high-level FSACS, with age and treatment method predicting class membership. Positive correlations were observed between total FSACS and confrontation, subjective support, and support utilization.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Background

Global cancer burden and female cases

Gynecological cancer impact and treatment-related distress

Self-advocacy development in cancer care

Lin and Zeng BMC Women's Health (2026) 26:304 BMC Women's Health [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-026-04480-5](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-026-04480-5) RESEARCH Open Access Identifying the heterogeneity of self-advocacy in patients with gynecological cancer: a latent class profile analysis Renqin Lin 1*† and Wenjie Zeng2† Abstract Background Gynecological cancers lead to a heavy global disease burden and severe physical and psychological distress. Self-advocacy can improve patients’ prognosis and quality of life. This study aimed to explore self-advocacy inpatients with gynecological cancer and evaluate heterogeneity among different subgroups. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from a longitudinal survey that assessed the self-advocacy of patients with gynecological cancer who received cancer treatment at a hospital in Fujian, China (N = 155) . We identified latent classes based on the subdomains ofthe Chinese Version of the Female Self-Advocacy in Cancer Survivorship Scale (FSACS) using latent class profile analysis and then examined the factors related to latent class membership using multinomial logistic regression and correlation analyses. Results Two latent classes were identified: low-level FSACS (Type 1, 29 . 7%) and high-level FSACS (Type 2, 70 . 3%) . Logistic regression showed that age and treatment methods were predictive factors for the potential category grouping of self-advocacy among gynecological cancer survivors (P < 0. 05) . The total FSACS score of gynecological cancer survivors was 66.78 ± 17.86. There was a positive correlation between the total FSACS scores and confrontation (r = 0 . 197, P < 0. 05), subjective support (r = 0 . 181, P < 0. 05), and utilization of support (r = 0 . 263, P < 0. 05) . Conclusions This study has several limitations, including a cross-sectional design that restricts causal inference anda single-hospital sample that may reduce external validity and introduce selection bias. Patients in various subgroups displayed personalized self-advocacy. Older age and multimodal therapy options may significantly increase the risk in individuals with low self-advocacy. Healthcare providers should implement targeted strategies to enhance selfadvocacy among this population. Keywords Gynecological cancer, Psycho-oncology, Self-advocacy, Latent profile analysis †Renqin Lin and Wenjie Zeng contributed equally to this work. *Correspondence: Renqin Lin [1029462882@qq.com](1029462882@qq.com) 1Fujian Health College, No. 366, Guankou Village, Jingxi Town, Minhou County, Fuzhou, Fujian, China 2Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, China © The Author(s) 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creati](http://creati)[vecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/](vecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)[.](vecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.) Lin and Zeng BMC Women's Health (2026) 26:304 Background In February 2024, the International Agency for Research on Cance

FAQs

What was the study aim regarding self-advocacy in gynecological cancer patients?

To explore self-advocacy in patients with gynecological cancer and evaluate heterogeneity among different subgroups.

How were latent classes of self-advocacy determined?

Latent classes were identified using latent class profile analysis based on the subdomains of the Chinese Version of the Female Self-Advocacy in Cancer Survivorship Scale (FSACS).

Which factors were associated with latent class membership?

Age and treatment methods were predictive factors for self-advocacy latent class grouping.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by McGucket