Abstract:Objective To explore the latent categorical characteristics of palliative care attitudes in patients with advanced cancer and the influencing factors. Methods A total of 462 patients with advanced cancer were selected using convenience sampling method and surveyed by the general data questionnaire, Palliative Care Attitudes Scale, and Templer′ Death Anxiety Scale. Latent profile ana-lysis was used to identify the potential categories of palliative care attitudesin patients with advanced cancer. Disordered multiple logistic regression was employed to analyze the impact of death anxiety and general demographic variables on latent categories of palliative care attitudes. Results Palliative care attitudes in patients with advanced cancer were classified into four latent categories: low cognition and low behavior group (10.8%), high stress group (18.4%), low emotional burden group (51.1%), and positive attitude group (19.7%). Regression analysis revealed that death anxiety was a predictive factor for the high stress group in patients with advanced cancer (OR=0.764). Farmers were more likely to be in the low cognition and low behavior group compared to other occupations (OR=1.332), while individuals working in government agencies/civil service were more likely to experience high stress compared to other occupations (OR=1.427). Monthly income <5, 000 (OR=2.412-5.687) and having undergone cancer surgery (OR=0.764) were predictive factors for the low emotional burden group (all P<0.05). Conclusion Patients with advanced cancer exhibit heterogeneity in their attitudes towards palliative care, and death anxiety is at a high level. Death anxiety has a specific impact on the high stress group in terms of palliative care attitudes.