Research on return to work for colorectal cancer survivors: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract Purpose Colorectal cancer survivors’ returning to work is a symbol of recovery as well as back to society. However, few studies have explored the study orientation for this domain. A bibliometric analysis of this field is urgently needed. Methods The database of Web of Science Core Collection was utilized to search publications. Characteristics of literature including publication years, countries, institutions, journals and authors were analyzed. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were utilized for data visualization. The data search and analysis were conducted on May 11, 2022. Results Totally, 125 articles were identified. The article number has grown gradually in the last twenty years. The League of European Research Universities and author De Boer Agem from the Netherlands contribute most in this field. The Journal of Supportive Care In Cancer issued the utmost articles, and the journal of Psycho Oncology outranked other journals with citations suggesting that it serves as the landmark journal. Outcomes, employment & financial burden, health & barriers and quality of life & rehabilitation are high-frequency keywords in co-occurrence analysis. Burst analysis revealed that experience, financial burden, risk factors, symptoms distress (fatigue), unemployment and physical activity studies were the emerging hot spots in the domain. The management of return to work after colorectal cancer is multidisciplinary. Conclusions The understanding of returning to work for colorectal cancer patients has improved increasingly over the two decades. The author De Boer Agem from the Netherlands and the Journal of Supportive Care In Cancer made the largest contribution to this domain. More attention should be paid to experience, financial burden, risk factors, symptoms of distress (fatigue), unemployment, and intervention studies. Multidisciplinary integration is the essence.